Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham not a better team without Harry Kane, just different
Ange Postecoglou has scoffed at talk Tottenham are a better team without Harry Kane, but admitted the departure of the club’s record goalscorer has allowed other individuals to flourish. Kane left Spurs on the eve of the season to join Bayern Munich in a deal that could rise to £120million in add-ons and which had been expected to derail a club that only managed to finish eighth in the Premier League last term. The opposite has occurred with Postecoglou able to mastermind an unbeaten start in the top flight that has sent Tottenham to the summit and posed the question are the north London club better without their ex-talisman Kane, who scored 278 times in 430 appearances for his boyhood team. Postecoglou cited Kane’s final outing in Lilywhite – a four-goal salvo in a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on August 6 – as evidence against the aforementioned rhetoric, although acknowledged the sale of the England captain has changed the dynamic of his attack, which is now led by the likes of Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Brennan Johnson. “What I’ve been trying to explain is that individuals change the way you play,” the Spurs boss said ahead of a Friday night clash at Crystal Palace. “I’m not into this commentary that we’re a better team without Harry because the last game Harry played for us, he did alright in our system when he scored four goals. “It’s fair to say we would have been able to squeeze him in somewhere – and I’m being sarcastic there – but him not being there just allows us to bring different individuals into the team and they change the dynamic. Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we're using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we'd have the same fundamentals. Ange Postecoglou “Again, while the way I want my teams to play has a really clear structure, what I try to do is create a balanced squad where individuals can change the dynamics of it. “Having Sonny as our nine is different from having Harry or even Richy as our nine. Having Deki as a winger or having Brennan Johnson as a winger changes it even if the structure is the same. “Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we’re using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we’d have the same fundamentals of trying to dominate opposition, press the opposition, all those kind of things would still be there. “Ultimately, I don’t want to suppress the qualities they have, I want to bring out the best of them within the structure we have.” Tottenham captain Son has shouldered the burden in Kane’s absence with seven goals, while new number 10 James Maddison has immediately hit the ground running in N17. Maddison scored for the third time on Monday night against Fulham and has also provided five assists to quickly become the team’s fulcrum. Postecoglou said of the former Leicester playmaker: “He’s very intuitive around the game and at understanding the game. “For all the players we try to provide a framework of education where we give them information to improve them as individuals, but some of them take them in a more broader concept of the team aspect and Madders is one of those. “He takes the information but not just from an individual aspect but how it can help the team. The goal he scored the other night came not from his individual ability but just from him working hard. “He pressed two or three times. That’s a conscious thing he has to do. That’s not just about him being a good footballer, that’s him as an individual saying I need to do this because I think the team will benefit and ultimately, he benefitted from it because he scored the goal. “But if he didn’t someone else would have, like we did for Sonny’s goal, so I think he’s one of these players that looks at it from a broader perspective, not just how it can help him as an individual but how it can help the team evolve into the team we want to be.”
1970-01-01 08:00
Newcastle 'in limbo' on Sandro Tonali. Howe says 'high chance' banned midfielder still available
Newcastle says it is “in limbo” over the status of Sandro Tonali
1970-01-01 08:00
Caitlin Clark can't do it alone. No. 3 Iowa got big boost when Martin and Marshall decided to return
Iowa women’s basketball is all about Caitlin Clark to the casual fan
1970-01-01 08:00
Indiana, Ohio State and Co. are eager to mix it up with Iowa in the Big Ten women's race
The chase is on in the Big Ten
1970-01-01 08:00
After years of competing for titles, Big 12 women's hoops competes to escape recent mediocrity
Big 12 women's basketball programs have a lot to prove this season
1970-01-01 08:00
SEC: Staley, South Carolina build super teams from ground up to face LSU's super squad
Dawn Staley is fan of super teams, particularly the homegrown way she's built them in much of her 16 seasons at South Carolina
1970-01-01 08:00
World Series: Max Scherzer the most accomplished player to have spent time with D-backs and Rangers
The most accomplished player to have spent time with both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers is Max Scherzer
1970-01-01 08:00
DraftKings Sportsbook Promo: Win $200 INSTANT Bonus Betting $5 on Any NBA, NHL, MLB, CFB or NFL Game!
DraftKings is giving new users who bet $5 or more on any game in any sport an instant $200 bonus! Find out how to claim this exclusive promo here.
1970-01-01 08:00
John Fury is now calling out Mike Tyson for a fight
Tyson Fury is preparing to fight Francis Ngannou on Saturday night – but it’s his dad John Fury who is stealing the limelight before the bout. The head of the Fury family was his usual outspoken self during the pair’s pre-match press conference on Thursday (October 26), and he used his time on stage to call out Mike Tyson for a fight. Tyson was in attendance as he’s been working with Ngannou in training and he was taken by surprise when Fury singled him out personally. Speaking about himself, Fury said: “John Fury fears only one person, who is not even of this world, that is God almighty.” Fury then addressed the 57-year-old Tyson, saying: “Let me tell you, my brother, the world is going to see what’s going to happen to your man. "Your man will get his head boxed off and stopped. Don’t you worry about that. And if I’m wrong, me and you will fight straight after.” Tyson responded by saying “Yeah” and making a fist while laughing. “Whatever outcome, me and you will fight” Fury went on to say. Tyson laughed again and replied: “All day, baby.” It’s not the first time that Fury has spoken about fighting Tyson. Back in September, he said: “I’m definitely not teasing. I want to fight him. Win, lose or draw, I will fight Mike Tyson, don’t you worry about that. I know the Saudis can make it happen. “I had eight wins, I beat the Italian heavyweight champ, he was six foot seven, 18 stone, I beat him, the man who beat Tyson. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
1970-01-01 08:00
Cricket World Cup Winners and Losers: Beyond the Games Week 3
With five matches behind each competitor in the Cricket World Cup, tournament host India remains the only team
1970-01-01 08:00
Pakistan wins toss, elects to bat against red-hot South Africa in must-win World Cup game
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat in his team’s must-win game against high-flying South Africa at the Cricket World Cup
1970-01-01 08:00
Celtic fans risk Uefa sanctions after displaying Palestine flags at Champions League match
Celtic fans held Palestine flags aloft ahead of their Uefa Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. The build-up to the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw despite the hosts taking the lead twice, had been dominated by internal and external strife. Thousands of Celtic fans defied the club’s guidance before kick-off by displaying Palestine flags, an act which is likely to lead to sanctions from Uefa, who has previously applied disciplinary action against the Scottish giants, including a £8,600 fine in 2016 for displaying Palestine flags in a game against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Uefa’s Rule 16.2 states that club's are responsible for fan behaviour and disciplinary procedures may occur if a political message is displayed, with Barcelona and Celtic previously fined for showing national flags that Uefa deemed to have sent a political message. Atletico’s decision to dispense with their striped shirts and wear an all-red top based on the one worn by the team that beat Celtic in the 1974 European Cup semi-finals also opened old wounds. The Green Brigade, an ultra supporter group at Celtic Park, had previously said they would hand out flags ahead of the match, and the group has already been banned from away games after displaying the same flags at other recent matches, the BBC has reported. The flags were also waved in other areas of the stadium not occupied by the Green Brigade. Ahead of the fixture, the club announced the players and staff would wear black armbands as a show of respect for all those affected by the conflict and would make a contribution to the red cross. But the club also asked that “banners, flags and symbols relating to the conflict and those countries involved in it are not displayed at Celtic Park at this time.” The Green Brigade believes football fans have the right to express political beliefs. Celtic fans have previously shown their support for Palestine, and in 2014 the club was fined after fans waved flags during a match against Iceland’s KR Reykjavik, and again during a 2016 qualifier against an Israeli team. The Scottish club could also face being fined by Uefa for their actions on Wednesday night. Celtic have an Israel winger, Liel Abada, who is currently out of the matchday squads with injury, but it adds another dimension to the actions of the fans. The Independent has contacted Uefa for comment Additional reporting from PA
1970-01-01 08:00
