Mauricio Pochettino claimed last night that Harry Kane’s stunning goal against Arsenal shows that he is back to his best.
The England striker had not scored in four matches before Saturday’s north London derby but took his haul for the season to 20 with a superb strike to give Tottenham Hotspur the lead at White Hart Lane.
Pochettino had expressed concern beforehand that Kane’s face mask was affecting his confidence and admitted that he needed the goal to demonstrate he was capable of playing at his top level in the protective gear.
The 22-year-old suffered a broken nose in Tottenham’s FA Cup defeat by Crystal Palace a fortnight ago and will continue to wear the mask for another couple of weeks.
“Harry needed the goal,” Pochettino said. “He came from a period that was difficult for him. I think it’s a good point to lift him and his confidence. It’s important for the team that Harry has started to score again. I have great confidence in him. Harry has a strong mentality and is a very good player. It’s true that to play with the mask isn’t easy, but today was a big opportunity to score and show he is back. It’s important for him and the team.”
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Kane insisted that wearing the mask does not concern him, although he was seen fiddling with it throughout the game against Arsenal, suggesting he was not entirely comfortable.
“It doesn’t really bother me, but with all the rain it kept slipping off my face and I had to tighten it,” Kane said. “Other than that, once you start playing you forget it’s there and just get on with it. You could see by my goal it wasn’t bothering me that much.
“It’s doctor’s orders. I’ve got to wear it for a couple of more weeks. I’d rather wear it and not miss any games than get another one on the nose and have to miss a game or two. So it is something I have to deal with.”
Pochettino insisted that Dele Alli is not suffering from fatigue despite making his 39th appearance of the season for Tottenham on Saturday. The 19-year-old was not at his best but will not be rested by Pochettino, although he will miss Thursday’s Europa League tie against Borussia Dortmund because of suspension.
“The second goal he looked fresh,” Pochettino said. “Maybe we expect from him to run more than 14k in every game. He was one of the best players against Arsenal. He showed energy and character. He is an incredible athlete, yes, but he is not a machine. He has a problem in his ankle and knee. He was good before the game.”
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● Barcelona, against whom Arsenal will try to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit in their Champions League round-of-16 tie next week, won 4-0 away to Eibar yesterday to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga. Lionel Messi scored twice, once from the penalty spot, and Luis Suárez got the fourth. It took the combined tally for Messi, Suárez and Neymar this season to exactly 100.