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Vincent Janssen Is Central to Tottenham’s Different Options in Kane’s Absence
- Updated: September 23, 2016
Forget football cliches, Tottenham Hotspur are entering Hollywood trope territory in the aftermath of Harry Kane’s recent injury.
The striker’s challenge with Sunderland’s Papy Djilobodji could be viewed as a Sliding Doors moment, a “what if?” question where his not getting hurt leaves the north Londoners not having to get by without him.
Or, more pertinently given the actual outcome (and for those of you more into your science fiction than romantic comedies), how about the “If-Then-Else” episode of the recently concluded television series Person of Interest, in which various outcomes for the show’s heroes in a desperate situation are seen via the evaluations of the protagonist artificial intelligence.
Given Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino’s absorption in his sport and job, you suspect he has little time for pop culture. Pondering things that cannot be changed will do little for him, either.
Figuring the various ways his team can come out of Kane’s absence unscathed is something he will definitely be considering.
Speaking after the Sunderland game and prior to the midweek EFL Cup win over Gillingham, Pochettino was hesitant to give a time frame on when the 23-year-old could return.
“He’s got an ankle problem, and we need to assess every day and we’ll see”, he said. “But it’s impossible today to give a time for recovery.” That outlook has not changed in the latest update.
Of the myriad permutations that could get Spurs by until that point—which, regardless of how well they do, they will hope is sooner rather than later—the central figure in most is Vincent Janssen.
Pochettino reiterated how the Netherlands international was signed “to have the opportunity to play with Harry and to play alone too. I think that was the quality that we tried to find in the player that we wanted to bring.”
Yet it is also clear the Argentinian is counting on his squad as a whole.
“If you have some problems like we have against Sunderland, it’s important that players are ready to compete,” Pochettino said of the opportunity Kane’s injury has presented to Janssen and others.
“It’s a good opportunity for different players to have the possibility to [show] their quality and challenge for and compete for a place in the starting XI.”
Ahead of Tottenham’s first Premier League match without Kane—the visit to Middlesbrough—what are the different personnel and tactical options they can consider moving forward without their talisman?
First up, a more detailed look at the new man Janssen.
Vincent Janssen
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The above Bleacher Report “Stat Stories” video painted a picture of panic for Tottenham having to do without Kane. They cited their poorer record in games when he did not score and Janssen’s own failure to find the mark early on this season.
Without him, Spurs have got by, not least in the League Cup this week. As for the latter, his scoring record pre-Gillingham was not the whole story.
As Pochettino pointed out this week, there was excitement around Janssen’s lively first two appearances in the 1-1 draw with Everton and the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
In the season-opener, his introduction helped Spurs come back from a goal down, with his engaging of the Toffees defence driving them back towards their own box. He was just as aggressive against the Eagles a week later in his White Hart Lane bow, with the home …
