5 Reasons Kane should not join Real Madrid

Harry Kane has been in superb form this season scoring 33 goals in 34 matches so it comes as no surprise that the Englishman has caught the eye of Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Los Blancos in a bid to rejuvenate their aging squad will likely make a move for Kane in the summer, however regardless of the prestige and attention which may come with moving to the Spanish capital Kane has plenty of incentive to remain in England.

Club of Legend

Kane is the darling of the Spurs faithful and the home support have lauded the forward as ‘One of our own’. Not to mention Kane stands to be the club’s greatest ever goal scorer as in as few as 189 appearances he’s already scored 123 goals in all competitions and in the process cracks into the club’s top ten all time goal scorer list just one behind Teddy Sheringham. One the other hand Madrid fans aren’t the best at supporting their own players and tend to fickle not even star man Cristiano Ronaldo has been beyond boos and jeers.

Spurs on the rise

In the last two weeks Spurs’ stock rose greatly as they played three successive matches against top six sides and come out the other end undefeated. This was later topped by their performance in Turin as they clawed they back after going two goals down to earn a draw at one of the hardest grounds to visit in Europe. On the domestic scene Spurs have only tasted defeat only once in their last 14 games, and even though they currently sit in fifth spot just outside the top four, they look every bit the complete side and based on their current form they could finish in second.

Being the main man

Kane like all forwards; loves to score goals and the only that can be possible is if he’s the one playing up top. At Real he might not have the opportunity to be the focal point, if Ronaldo is still in the picture, as is the case with Karim Benzema as he has had to move out wide to accommodate Ronaldo as the chief goal scorer.

The allure of Manchester

 Real Madrid aren’t the only club with a rich history that could offer Kane the trophies and prestige befitting a player of his talents. Kane is type of player which Manchester United would need to make them a force again or he could easily wear the light blue of City. Speaking of which, according to Spanish website Diario Gol City have earmarked Kane as a potential transfer target for this summer.

The Ultimate Goal

The biggest motivator to remain in England would be the chance to become the greatest goal scorer in the Premier League’s history. The current record is held by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer with 260 goals. with Kane having already broken Shearer’s 22-year-old record of most goals in a calendar year, the all-time record is not that far away. In 142 Premier League appearances he has scored 101 goals and based on current estimates Kane will definitely break the record.

Arsenal in a spot of bother as they begin Europa League knockouts

For English teams the Europa League has been viewed as nothing more than an inconvenience with attempting to win the tournament carrying the risk of disrupting a domestic season. Not to mention the long travels to play less renowned opposition in smaller stadiums against players you’ve never heard of doesn’t exactly give teams the same level prestige compared to the Champion’s League.

That isn’t the case anymore now as the Europa League can now serve as an opportunity for a fifth English team to enter the Champion’s League as the level of competitiveness in England has gotten that much tougher making it an attractive alternative opposed to making the top four. Manchester United are proof of this as they found their way back amongst Europe’s elite after finishing sixth by winning the tournament last season. Arsenal now find themselves in the same position as they now have to put everything into winning the Europa League as a spot in the top four looks more and more likely out of their grasp.

Arsenal travel to Sweden tonight to take on Östersund in a clash, on paper, Arsenal should win and rather easily at that, but Arsenal head into the game under less than ideal conditions. The Gunners will have to make do without their best guns with Alexandre Lacazette being ruled out due to injury for the next six weeks and January acquisition Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can’t feature on account of being cup tied having already played in Uefa competition for Borussia Dortmund.

Having already sold Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, and their alternative attacking options in Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud also departing, Arsenal have no other choice but to turn to Danny Welbeck as the Englishman is their only viable attacking option. This isn’t the most convenient of choices as Welbeck has only scored five goals over the past two seasons and is yet to get off the mark in the Europa League.

Stats prove Spurs are one of Europe's best sides

The occasion of European knockout football can either be a magical night which could live long in the memory or they can turn into a nightmare, and last night in Tottenham’s case the latter looked to be true. In the space of less than 10 minutes Italian champions Juventus shot into the lead with a brace from Gonzalo Higuaín and the situation looked to be going south with the Old Lady poised to pick the visitors off on the counter.

Higuaín narrowly missed out on a chance to secure a hat trick and from there what followed was one of the most spectacular away performances from Spurs as they pulled a goal back afterwards and leveled matters later on. From that performance you can observe that Spurs now look like a proper Champion’s League side as not only did they survive, but they thrived in one of the most hostile grounds to visit in European football.

Ever since Juventus’ move to the Allianz stadium only one team has ever managed to win in Turin in the Champion’s League, that was Bayern Munich back in 2013 when they lifted the trophy, Spurs can consider their away draw as good as a win especially because the homeside don’t make a habit of conceding goals as Spurs along with Sporting, Monaco and Lyon are the only teams to score at Juventus over the last two seasons combined in European football.

On closer inspection you’d also realize that Barcelona, once boasting the attacking talents of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, lost 3-0 there last season and in their return they couldn’t find the net either even after having outplayed the Bianconeri at the Nou Camp earlier on.

An even more impressive statistic is that between 2012 and 2018 only five teams, excluding Spurs, have scored two or more goals against the Old Lady in the Champion’s League. All this goes to tells you how formidable an opponent the Italians are and how good Tottenham had to be in order to stage a fightback leaving them well poised for the return leg at Wembley.

Chelsea doomed their title defence before it began and could miss out on top four

Football just like everything in life is usually determined by fundamental laws and one that tends to come to mind with regards to repeating is the adage which states “If aint broke don’t fix it”, unfortunately for Chelsea they’ve been guilty of transgressing that law. In a bizarre bit of decision making Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic were allowed to depart Stamford Bridge and sooner or later those decisions were bound to come back to haunt them.

The Blues had been looking impressive a few weeks ago when they were tied for second spot with Manchester United and it seemed that they had gotten over their slow start to the season. Since then the Blues have dropped ten valuable points in winnable games. This has mostly come down to something which could be a point of concern for Chelsea as the players they brought into the side haven’t exactly been able to fill the void left by Costa and Matic, Álvaro Morata wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders before his injury and Michy Batshuayi as his back up didn’t seem suited to Chelsea’s playing style.

Hence Chelsea have had problems in attack so what’s becoming more evident is that in order to compensate for their lack of depth they’ve been becoming over reliant on certain players like Eden Hazard to carry the team. The Belgian seems to be the only creative spark for Chelsea and there are signs of great partnership forming between him and new teammate Olivier Giroud. The former Arsenal man assisted in the first of two goals but in a team boasting the attack talents of Willian, Pedro and Fabregas you’d have to fear for Chelsea in the run in towards the end of the season especially as they take on Barcelona followed by back-to-back trips to Manchester.

Those two trips could prove to be pivotal as losses in both games could mean an end to their Champion’s League hopes as the team’s around seem to be changing up a gear. And still they also have problems in defence with their previous heavy defeats coinciding with the absence of Andreas Christensen. Christensen was subbed off against Bournemouth, what followed was a defensive with Chelsea going into meltdown mode. His return spells some great news for the Blues, but their overreliance on the Dane in a team with experienced internationals is concerning.

 So the lesson for Chelsea should take away from this season is don’t mess with a winning formula unless you have something better to take its place.

Sky's the limit for Spurs following North London victory

North London is now officially Spurs territory this following Harry Kane’s winner in Saturday’s derby against bitter rivals Arsenal. Kane scored his seventh goal in as many games against Arsenal and in the process earned his team three valuable points, the bragging rights and flipped the script in London’s footballing circles. Spurs are with certainty THE team in North London and could be the capital’s premier side by season’s end.

With their win against Arsenal Spurs have tallied up a good return of seven points from their three games against top six sides and now find themselves in third four points behind second placed Manchester United. While this may change as rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are to play later this weekend, Spurs showed themselves to be well adept at handling the sides around them in successive games and will count this as psychological boost to achieving their goals.

Champions Chelsea have been floundering in recent weeks and have been left reeling after successive heavy defeats, while Liverpool - after becoming the first team to hand City their first domestic defeat this season - had their bubble burst when they lost at Swansea and following their draw against Spurs only have four points from their last three matches. Manchester United were thoroughly outplayed at Wembley and were lucky to have kept the score down only to two. Arsenal look a long way off from being any sort of challenge with defeat against Spurs being their third consecutive loss away from home and more consequently they’ve lost two of their last three league matches.

Judging from current events Spurs look to have emerged out the other end better off after a grueling run of fixtures while their rivals have had a tough run of things either against Spurs or lesser sides. And those results may yet prove to be pivotal in the shake up towards a European spot at the end of the season, and just maybe could help them to push further into the latter stages of the Champion’s League because if this is how they handle adversity it’s safe to say only a handful of teams would be capable of stopping them.

It's about more than pride

Arsenal and Spurs will clash this weekend in another explosive instalment of the North London derby as usual the bragging rights and three points are up for grabs but this time there’s more on the line for both teams. Traditionally Arsenal have had the better of the exchanges in matches as well as honours over Spurs, but this weekend could confirm that the balance of power in North London has well and truly shifted.

Spurs, after coming close on a number of occasions in recent seasons, finished above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years when they finished second last season and that was capped off with the news that the Gunners had failed to finish in a Champion’s League spot. And because of this it would seem the shoe is very much on the other foot now as the roles between the two rivals have seemingly been shifting in recent seasons.

In the past Arsenal were blessed with the talents of some of the legends of the game which included the likes of Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Patrick Viera, Dennis Bergkamp, just to name a few, whose talents were honed under the tutelage of an innovative manager in Arsene Wenger, but today Spurs are the ones brimming with talent and potential legends. Spurs have their own legend in the making in Harry Kane backed by the exciting talents of Dele Alli, Christian Ericksen, Moussa Dembele and Victor Wanayama and additionally in Mauricio Pochettino they have one the rising stars of the managerial world.

As a result, Spurs collectively look a more complete package when compared to Arsenal and recent results are proving it might be the case. Spurs come to Wembley on the back end of two tough fixtures against top four rivals Manchester United and Liverpool. Both games showed how far Spurs have come as they were brilliant in dismantling United at Wembley and had to show resolve to come away with a draw at Anfiled. On that basis a win against Arsenal would be that much sweeter as it would put some distance between them and their rivals while also pushing them closer to their target after a challenging point in the season.

However, even though Arsenal aren’t what they used to be they come into this weekend with their own momentum as the arrivals of Henrik Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reignited the Gunners to a 5-1 win at home and in doing so put on display the potential this new look team possess. Along with Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang could prove to be a devastating unit and Saturday would be a fitting introduction of the new Arsenal.

Auba and Mkhitaryan made a great start for Arsenal, but there’s one thing missing

The January transfer window bought some good news for Arsenal in the backdrop of Alexis Sanchez’s departure to Manchester united. Gabonese hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang and former teammate Henrik Mkhitaryan penned deals with the Gunners and made explosive starts in their 5-1 win against Everton. This makes for even better news as German playmaker Mesut Ozil signed a four contract extension in the same week, and now along with Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan and Alexandre Lacazette will form one of the most exciting attacking units seen at Arsenal for some time.

However, the Gunners’ problems haven’t merely been down to their lack in attack, but rather inconsistency, poor away form and most of all their defending. Arsenal have conceded 35 goals this season, the most out of the top six teams, and have also committed the most defensive errors which have led to goals (11).

While all indicators may point to the defence being the culprit, their midfield has been found wanting. Specifically, Granit Xhaka has been a letdown in defensive midfield, emphasis on DEFENSIVE as that’s the part of his game he has yet to develop. In the position Xhaka plays akin to a dog chasing cars as he very often randomly runs all over the pitch chasing the ball rather than sitting in front of the defence and providing the protection they need.

Just look back their most recent loss against Swansea and their three-all draw against Liverpool, where in both cases Xhaka lost his man and both occasions his indiscretions were punished.

This should spell some cause for concern with the strength in the position being a catalyst of success for previous title winners Leicester and Chelsea, with N’golo Kanté and now this season with Fernandinho being City’s lynch pin in their success this season.

What’s most astonishing is that it’s been quite clear where Arsenal have often been lacking for a number of seasons now, yet still nothing has been done to put right the situation and the reluctance to sign a world class defensive midfielder has been as big a factor in their current situation as their lack in star power compared to the rest of the top six.

Spurs show they’re more than a one trick pony

There is a is a common misconception about Tottenham that they are just a one man show with Harry Kane usually claiming all the plaudits in the headlines, yet on Wednesday against, second placed, Manchester United the north Londoners showed there is more to them than just their star striker.

Spurs wasted no time in taking the lead with Christian Eriksen scoring only after eleven seconds, what came after that provided a statement to the sides above them: “Underestimate us at your own peril”. Spurs were excellent in the face of United’s reply after the first goal and were resolute in their defence. Once the game had settled that’s when the real Spurs came out.

In the big games its usually the smallest things which decide these fixtures, and one of those namely being the one-on-one duels in key areas the pitch. Spurs’ right hand side proved to be one of those areas as Kieran Trippier won out against new signing Alexis Sanchez and exposed the Chilean’s defending (or lack thereof). On several occasions the Spurs full back found joy down the touchline with the ample space provided to him by Sanchez’s reluctance to track back and help out Ashley Young. Unfortunately for United one of those occasions proved to be key in deciding the game with Trippier supplying the cross which lead to Phil Jones’ own goal.

In the second half Spurs bossed proceedings as United switched off and all together looked to have given up. The Spurs midfield in particular, gained the upper hand as they neutralized what little influence Paul Pogba had on the game while producing numerous chances. Harry Kane’s name hadn’t been worth a mention up until then, and the Spurs talisman had a few good chances to score his hundredth Premier League but he wasn’t his normal composed self in front of goal.

Dele Alli also played with the swagger and class that had once made him a rumoured target by Europe’s elite sides, while Moussa Demebele produced a master class in how effortlessly he kept Spurs ticking over. Davinson Sanchez was class beside man of the match Jan Vertonghen. The defensive pair made some key interceptions and tackles in the early stages and later on to cancel out what few chances the opposition could muster.

All in all, as much as the headlines were about how bad Manchester United were on the day, credit should be given to Spurs as they proved that as a team they’re more than just the goal scoring exploits of Harry Kane and that they have a few more strings to their bow.