CAPTAIN KANE FIRES UP THE TOTTENHAM TROOPS

UPON completing their warm-up, Tottenham Hotspur’s players were summoned by Harry Kane for an impromptu huddle before heading inside. Whatever was said was private, but you suspect the stand-in captain’s instructions included making sure they prove they are still playing for manager Mauricio Pochettino. This was far from vintage Tottenham but the troops did their jobs. They fought and won, bouncing back from three straight defeats. Kane admitted that, for the first time this season, he was pleased with a performance. It was not the prettiest, but it was workmanlike and professional. And after a testing two weeks for Pochettino following losses to Watford, Liverpool and then Inter Milan, it does not take much for the vultures to start circling. ‘It was a big win for us,’ Kane said. ‘The energy was there, everyone was working hard. A lot of people speak about tiredness and fatigue, but we all feel fine. It was important we showed that. ‘As a striker, you go through good spells, bad spells. As a striker you are going to be under the microscope more than everyone else. That is the life of the striker. You will get chances, miss chances, feel you can hold it up better. All you can do is look forward and try to improve.’ After a handball in the box by Glenn Murray was spotted by referee Chris Kavanagh, Kane scored Tottenham’s opener from the penalty spot — his third goal in six Premier League games. Tottenham’s players turned up at the Amex dressed head to toe in slick dark suits that would have impressed ‘The Man in Black’ Johnny Cash. They looked the part, putting on a serious front for the cameras, but the performance had to match their steely faces. Their finishing was suspect, as they relied on substitute Erik Lamela to finally double their advantage ahead of Anthony Knockaert’s consolation strike in stoppage time. Pochettino, though, had a message for his critics after his side’s mini-slump. ‘Football is not two plus two equals four,’ the Argentine said. ‘That is the problem sometimes. Sometimes you are so happy with the way you prepare a game, then you go to play it and you lose. Sometimes you can only prepare the minimum, then you play fantastic.’