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Tottenham welcome Arsenal to Wembley on Saturday in a match that could now have huge top four implications, and Mauricio Pochettino should do the unthinkable and drop Harry Kane.
Kane has escaped punishment for a possible head-butt in Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, per Sky Sports, but should the striker miss out on Saturday anyway?
It seems utterly ridiculous to even entertain the notion that Kane, who has scored six goals in his seven appearances against Arsenal, would not start the derby, but the talisman does not look fully fit.
The 25 year-old has just returned well ahead of schedule from an ankle injury, something he has struggled with in the past, and playing three intense games in seven days may just be a step too far.
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Off the pace
For a player returning from a serious ankle injury, a trip to face an extremely physical Burnley side followed by two London derbies is about as brutal as it gets, and Kane is clearly feeling the effects.
The England captain looked heavy-footed and out of sorts in the 2-0 defeat against Chelsea, and he didn’t exactly have a top performance at Turf Moor despite finding the back of the net.
Whoscored rate his performance at Stamford Bridge at 6.05, the joint-lowest score he has recorded this season along with the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
A boost for Son?
Shocking the world by benching Kane could also fire Son Heung-min back into form, who has struggled since the main man returned to the team.
Son had scored in four consecutive games in Kane’s absence, but has failed to score or assist in either of his showings since the striker’s return, and his scintillating showings have turned into drab displays with virtually no effect on the game.
The South Korean speedster clearly thrives in the spaces around a more traditional target man like Fernando Llorente, and he also showed in the Carabao Cup contest earlier this season that his pace can rip Arsenal to shreds if he is deployed up front.
The Gunners are very thin in defence due to an injury crisis, and stunning them with the pace of Son and/or the physicality of Llorente could restore Tottenham’s fortunes.
And hey, if it all goes horribly wrong, Kane isn’t exactly a bad super-sub to have in the back pocket.
