Opinion: Where have you gone, Harry?

I’ve gone on forever about the diminution of talent. We are nowhere near a Top Four team. But even with those deficiencies in the old days—when our striker was still world-class—it might have been us that got the one goal to earn the three points in a game like this. Those days are gone. I […]

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I’ve gone on forever about the diminution of talent. We are nowhere near a Top Four team. But even with those deficiencies in the old days—when our striker was still world-class—it might have been us that got the one goal to earn the three points in a game like this. Those days are gone. I had a growing assurance throughout this affair that if anyone was going to win it, Michail Antonio was by far the likeliest candidate. That he did it with our star standing helpless behind him speaks volumes. It underscored the difference between the two clubs.

Talent probably still favours us, but just by an eyelash. Attitude is them. Coaching is them. They are able to punch above their weight and they are playing in a more legit European competition as a result, with a very real prospect of doing it again. We are losing toothlessly to Vitesse in a Mickey Mouse competition.

As for Kane, do you see anything redeeming about what he does for 90 minutes each game? Yes he had a nice goal last week and an even better assist. The one header went straight at Fabianski. He was slow to crosses, poor in possession, asleep on the goal. He doesn’t have the spark that so often characterised his play for the last six years. If one of our forwards is going to create something special, I believe it much more likely to be Son—he was the one that got a ball to Lucas in the first half fighting off two defenders, who made a burst down the right that probably should have resulted in a goal. Kane simply doesn’t deliver reliably anymore. Whether that is in his head, his heart, or whether he is simply becoming late Robin Van Persie or Wayne Rooney before our very eyes, I can’t say. I just wish Levy had pulled the trigger—or, sadly, maybe City didn’t really want him that much anyway.

As for the rest, Romero and Dier played well on defence—and each made a few poor passes but when you are playing long ball and hope, that will happen. Emerson does not seem to have the ability to go forward. Reguilon’s giveaway led to the possession that created a corner and the goal—he had a few poor crosses as well. But they weren’t our main problem. Nor were the midfield—Hojbjerg v Rice was worth the price of admission—I thought both played well, as did Skipp in the main. Tanguy was at least attempting to create—his pass to Son in the first half deserved a better outcome. But he is not Eriksen—he is primarily a player on the ground—and with the Hammers utterly clogging the middle of the pitch, he was going to be limited.

We needed to work the flanks more effectively and that simply didn’t happen. Son had moments—Lucas was typical Lucas—which brings me back to Kane. He went 1 v 4 once when there was a passing option available. Worryingly, he lost possession more than he used to—never got a shot away, and misplaced the one header chance he got just before halftime. And is he the leader that might bring this team to punch above their weight? The way Antonio seems to be?

I think we know the answer. This is going to be a long season. Nuno rested this lot, and they weren’t good enough. Not bad, mind you. Just average. That’s who Spurs are. We need new talent. Unfortunately, the player who could have yielded such talent is still here. Unhappy. Unproductive. Unloved.

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