Tottenham Hotspur’s striker and captain, Harry Kane, has recently come under scrutiny for his performance during a Premier League match against Burnley. Kane had taken a free kick after Pedro Porro had hit the bar with the previous set piece, but the ball hit the wall, leaving fans bewildered.
Kane’s record with free kicks has been a topic of discussion for some time now, with the striker having scored only one free kick in the Premier League, which came way back in 2014 against Aston Villa and via a huge deflection. Despite this, Kane has frequently welcomed the responsibility of taking free kicks during his time with the Spurs squad.
The game against Burnley seemed to indicate that Tottenham Hotspur may have found a new free-kick taker in Porro after the Spaniard rattled the bar inside the first half. However, Kane took the next free-kick, leaving many fans confused about the decision.
Journalist Alasdair Gold spoke on his YouTube channel, expressing his bewilderment at Kane’s decision to take the free kick. He wondered whether Kane took it simply because he was a senior figure and believed he could strike a fantastic shot from outside the box, or whether in training, he was smashing every single free kick into the top corner. Gold admitted that the free kick was not good and ended up hitting the wall.
Kane’s record with free kicks will undoubtedly frustrate fans, given that he is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer but has struggled in this aspect of the game. The issue is just one of many hanging over the 29-year-old, with his future in north London uncertain, as he has just over one year remaining on his contract.
The upcoming summer window will be the last opportunity for Spurs to bring in significant cash for Kane, but recent results for the north London club are not pointing in a positive direction. The team’s spot in the top four failed to be strengthened over the weekend, and it has been a season of inconsistency for the Lilywhites.
Losing during the week in the FA Cup was a significant blow for Kane, as another trophy opportunity passed. The decision to rest him during the week was also proven to be a terrible choice from the management team, as they were then unable to even take a point from a struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Despite there still being a lot to play for at Spurs, their struggles with nailing down a solid run of wins are making it increasingly difficult to see any positivity for the remainder of the campaign. Kane’s future at the club remains uncertain, and the team’s lack of success in recent matches only adds to the uncertainty.