When Harry Kane limped from the pitch after defeat against Manchester United with an ankle injury on January 13, it was widely thought that Tottenham’s title ambitions were over. However, with Son Heung-min returning from the Asia Cup in blistering form, Spurs remain right in the title race as we head to crunch time in the season. Kane is due to return towards the end of February, with the striker’s recovery ahead of schedule. So, can he fire Spurs to the title?
The Current State of Play
With under a third of the season remaining, Tottenham lie third in the Premier League table, a long way clear of the teams below them. The title is now a three horse race between Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City, with only five points separating the top three teams.
Do Spurs Have a Chance?
Following Kane’s injury, Spurs were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the semi-finals and the FA Cup in the fourth round by Premier League opponents Crystal Palace. Since his injury, however, Spurs are unbeaten in the Premier League.
For Spurs, even though they remain five points behind their title rivals, their destiny remains in their own hands. By the time Kane returns from injury at the end of this month, they will still have to play both Liverpool away (March 31) and Manchester City away (April 20). Should they win both of those games, the title could be within reach.
However, before then, they also face stiff challenges against Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as the second leg of their clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Recently, Tottenham have become very reliant on striker Son Heung-min for goals. With their other striker Fernando Llorente misfiring, the South Korean could do with some help.
The good news for Spurs is that, should he return in time, Kane has a phenomenal goalscoring record against Arsenal and, at the start of the season, he had only failed to score in one game he’d ever played against their north London foes. Likewise, Kane had also scored 21 goals in 32 Premier League London derbies, which bodes well for the Chelsea game, too.
Kane’s Other Commitments
Tottenham aren’t the only team who are relying on Kane to return and produce goals. Tottenham will be wary that Kane will resume his commitments with the England national team (who also play at Wembley) in March, when they begin their UEFA Euro qualification campaign against the Czech Republic and Montenegro. In the fixture with Montenegro particularly, where England are heavy favourites in the international football betting markets, Spurs will be hoping that Kane is rested so he can help their Premier League title tilt.
Immediately following the conclusion of the Premier League, Kane will also return to international duty as England take part in the finals of the UEFA Nations League. As a result, both Spurs and England will be hoping that the star striker remains fit and fresh throughout the rest of the season.
With Kane due to return shortly and Spurs well-positioned behind Manchester City and Liverpool, the North London side will be positive about the title run in. However, for Spurs to have any chance of overhauling the five-point gap to the leaders, Kane must hit the ground running.
