Harry Kane the embodiment of a different kind of Tottenham Hotspur
Striker looks set to top the scoring charts and could yet fire Spurs to the top of the most important table of all
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Your support makes all the difference.As Harry Kane stroked in his 24th league goal of the season against Stoke City on Monday evening, it seemed an almighty long time since the Tottenham forward was being viewed suspiciously as a one-season wonder.
Having scored thirty-one goals in all competitions as a 21-year-old for Spurs last season, Kane fed the doubters with ammunition following a run of just one goal in his first 13 outings for Mauricio Pochettino’s team this campaign.
Kane was a flash in the pan, it seemed, and the typical Spurs player – good when the pressure is off, but a different animal when faced with the scrutiny that comes with expectation.
Yet as he walked off the pitch at the Britannia Stadium following the 4-0 victory which delivered emphatic proof of Tottenham’s title credentials, Kane embodied the change of perception around the White Hart Lane team.
Nobody doubts Kane nowadays and, increasingly, nobody is doubting the quality and resolve of Pochettino’s young team.
But having now scored 27 goals in all competitions this season for Spurs, England forward Kane admits a sense of satisfaction at having silenced his critics.
"Yeah, of course. There was a lot of talk at the start of the season,” Kane said. “It fuelled the fire in my belly to want to prove them wrong and I've gone and done that.
“But it doesn't stop here for me. It's not a case of 'OK, I'm happy where I am'. I want to go and get more goals, create my chances for the team and do my best for Tottenham Hotspur.
"It's all about the win [at Stoke], but obviously I want to score as many goals as I can.
“To score another two is a great feeling. I've got 24 for the season, that puts the pressure on the other strikers [chasing the Golden Boot], but there are still plenty of games to go.
“I'm hoping to get a few more between now and the end of the season and see where I end up."
Kane appears destined to top the Premier League scoring charts having moved two clear of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy with his double at Stoke.
With Vardy likely to miss two games through suspension as a result of his dismissal and subsequent reaction during the 2-2 draw against West Ham on Sunday, Kane has an advantage and so, perhaps, do Tottenham.
How Leicester cope without their talisman could decide the outcome of the title race and Kane admits that Tottenham’s challenge now is to assert intense pressure on Claudio Ranieri’s side in an effort to force a loss of nerve.
"Of course you want Leicester to drop points,” Kane said. “We want to win the league at the end of the day.
“But we have to go out there and do our job. They've got some tough games, but they're in the driving seat.
“Whether they win, lose or draw, we have to win and we've done that here at Stoke in a very good manner. With more performances like that, I'm sure we'll push them all the way.
"All we can do is keep doing what we're doing. We've got to win all our games. We want to win all four of them and then we will go from there.
“Obviously Leicester have got some tough games coming up. They're in the driving seat. All we can do is keep winning our games."
Tottenham’s task has been made more difficult psychologically by having three successive Monday night fixtures – starting with Stoke – which follow Leicester’s games on the Sunday.
But Kane believes Spurs can cope with that mental challenge and use it to their advantage when they face West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea over the next two Monday nights.
“The lads have been itching to play,” Kane said. “Watching all the football over the weekend and having to wait until Monday night to play, gets you ready, gets you firing.
“Watching the games this Sunday, it was a chance for us to gain some points and we've gone out there and showed what we're capable of."
Leicester must move next, however, with their home game against Swansea this Sunday testing their mettle without Vardy.
If they slip up again, Tottenham’s performance at Stoke suggests they will take advantage, with Kane, in particular, proving his readiness to deliver when it matters most.
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