da wazamba： This time last season, Tottenham fans were just coming alive to the fact that they might just have something special bursting up through the ranks at White Hart Lane.
da doce： Having already scored his first few goals for the club in 2013/14, Harry Kane began last season on the bench in the league, but making regular appearances (and scoring regular goals) in the Europa League and League Cup.
However, during the autumn it became abundantly clear to all Spurs fans, and eventually boss Mauricio Pochettino, that this kid was ready to start at the expense of the notoriously goal-shy Roberto Soldado.
His decision may have been helped by Kane scoring winners in two games from the bench. Soon after he was in the starting line up, and the legend of ‘he’s one of our own’ was born.
But that was last year. Many young, exciting newbies to the Premier League have fallen afoul of the harsh, unforgiving nature of the league in their second season – the phenomenon even has a phrase coined for it. After only one goal in the league so far this season, has the young starlet’s bubble finally burst, or is this just the sort of temporary setback that young players will experience as a matter of course?
Firstly, a key point to make is that by judging Kane this harshly, we are actually offering him the highest of praise. We are only judging him against the standards he has himself previously set, and if he had not already set the bar so high there would be no question of us even thinking of doubting him.
In my opinion this mini-blip represents nothing more than a small loss of confidence, which happens regularly with young players who have a sustained period of success when they emerge into the limelight but then find it tricky to adjust when times are not so good.
The thing Kane needs now more than anything, which to be fair to the Spurs hierarchy he has been getting, is constant reassurance and praise from the manager that he is still a first choice pick and that the short run of not scoring has not affected the latters confidence in him.
Pochettino needs to be constantly reminding him of his exploits last season and of the faith he has in him. His goals so far this season, a neat finish against Man City in the Premier League and two very good goals for England to help cement their 100% record in the qualifiers, will do him the world of good. So will playing in a side that is currently producing attacking, fast-paced football that has many other teams in the league looking on enviously.
Not a crisis by any means then, merely a short-term blip. Compared to Kane’s enviable scoring record last year, which it would have been all-but impossible to keep up, he is simply suffering a slight lack of confidence as of this moment.
Nothing more, and nothing less.
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