Season Kaned
From Spurs Official:
"We can confirm that @HKane sustained ligament damage to his right ankle during Sunday's FA Cup win against Millwall"
"The injury is similar to the one suffered by the forward against Sunderland in Sept last year, however it is not considered to be as severe"
We can't have nice things.
The remaining games of 2017:
A Palace (Postponed, TBC)
H Soton
A Burnley
A Swansea
H Watford
H Bournemouth
FA Cup Semi-Final v Chelsea
A Leicester City (TBC)
H Arsenal
A West Ham United
H Manchester United <---- Likely return of Harry Kane*
A Hull City
H TBC first home game at the new stadium <---- Erik Lamela's return
/sad face
*Based on injury being similar to the (7 week) Sunderland layoff. Added an extra week (8) because life is cruel and I'm considering the worst case scenario just so we can digest the potential misery.
Once again the footballing Gods offer a sacrifice to the delight of our rivals. Harry has tweeted a positive message with no time frame. An unsurprising message that aligns with the clubs. They like to keep things very close to their chest.
So he's out for several weeks at a minimum.
Considering history and the unavoidable truth that some squads are bolstered to the max with world class depth...well...you know. We're only ever at full pelt when we have everyone more or less available. We have a bit of the world class too, spread across the first eleven but we're very finely tuned. We are wholly reliant on the worldys and their form. Kane being the undeniable focal point. Synergy is on point when everyone is on it.
It's a little bit like asking Tony Stark to fight evil from another dimension without his Iron Man suit. The guile, intelligence and endeavour is there but he'll hardly jump off a building and attempt to fly wearing nothing more than Armani threads.
Someone pass me the Bourbon.
God damn we're going to have to dig deep. Deeeeep. Not for most of the league games, that on paper (steady), look fairly comfortable. The distinct lack of psychology pressure from chasing a title that is without a doubt a mathematical impossibility (thanks to Chelsea's reluctance to capitulate) means there is a more relaxed outlook towards the games ahead. The final four games will no doubt be mini-cup finals (I hate saying that) but until then, we should have enough to get us through. That is, until the Wembley game.
The semi is where we need Kane's extraordinary edge, to bless us with a difference maker and avoid a limp display. He might return in as little as four weeks based on nothing more than desperate hope. The fact some of our players have recovered early, and to repeat myself, Spurs are often vague and ambiguous with their publicly shared timeframes. Jan and Toby recovered quicker than initially expected but Erik is still MIA.
All eyes now on Dele, Son and Janssen. I think we're (almost) grown up to appreciate that we have stepped up in the past, against all odds. Hyperbole aside, we do actually have strength and options. Consistency and reliability of those required to step up are the fogs of war at play.
When you consider that Kane (already) along side Toby, Jan, Erik and Danny have all been missing for prolonged periods and we're still second in the league...it's an achievement. It's also a headache to consider where we would be if they were not lost on the sidelines or we had like for like replacements (which, let's face it, is asking a lot).
The achievement (remaining competitive) will mean very little if we slump at pivotal moments in the weeks ahead. We tend to wobble more when we all expect to actually get the job done, so try working that one out. Maybe in the Spursverse, this is exactly what we need. Some of ye old paradoxicals where nothing makes sense and logic is twisted and perverted yet somehow works in our favour.
Once more people, the Spurs way is the hard way is the only way.
Onwards with heart in mouth. Don't go choking.
