TIME TO PROVE WE’RE NOT THE HARRY KANE TEAM
Lloris: Striker will be a big miss but we can win without him
HUGO LLORIS has warned Tottenham they must show they can manage without Harry Kane – or risk having to look over their shoulders.
Spurs face a crunch period without their top scorer and talisman as Kane is facing a spell out with an ankle injury after hobbling off against Manchester United.
The north Londoners play Fulham on Sunday, as they try to cling on in the title race, Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final next week, and then there’s an FA Cup tie at Crystal Palace on January 27.
To make matters worse, Heung-min Son will be away on international duty with South Korea in the Asia Cup.
Striker Kane fears he has suffered serious ankle ligament damage which could keep him out for a month. His ankle was still so badly swollen yesterday that the club could not do a scan on the damage and will not know the full extent until today at the earliest.
Spurs hope their worst fears are not confirmed, that it is a grade-two sprain which would see him sidelined for four to six weeks.
Keeper Lloris said: “We are still involved in four competitions, but the main thing is to finish in the top four. We have said that from the beginning.
“Everyone is talking about the teams in front of us, but it is important to keep an eye on the teams behind because in football things can change very quickly.
“In the League Cup we have an advantage, but it is going to be tough at Stamford Bridge. Then there is the FA Cup and Champions League coming quickly, so there is no time to think too much, just time to recover and be ready in our minds for fighting.”
Kane’s injury has left Spurs’ title hopes in tatters. He missed a long spell in each of the last two seasons with ankle problems and, even though this is the other ankle, it is another worry.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola infamously referred to Spurs as “the Harry Kane team”.
But Lloris said: “We all know how important Harry is in our team, but he is not all of our team. Football is about the team and every player is ready to help the team.
“During the season, you have ups and downs, and you have to always adapt to those and we will see about ‘H’.
“But everybody is ready and the most important thing is the mind – being ready to fight, being ready to help, being ready to compete.
“It is better when you have all your best players on the field, but that can happen here or it can happen at other clubs.
“With or without him, we will see how we do. The most important thing is to prepare for the games as well as we can. We need to try to find a freshness and the right energy.
“Throughout the whole team, you have important players but the main thing is the collective. It is the only way to get trophies. It is not about one or two players.”
Lloris (above) was searingly honest about Tottenham’s defeat to United and refused to blame bad luck or David de Gea’s heroics as he claimed Spurs got what they deserved.
He added: “In football, you only get what you deserve, and if we didn’t score it’s because we missed a little bit of precision and efficiency, and obviously De Gea made a fantastic performance.
“But when you create so many chances in one half, it’s difficult to understand how an opponent can keep a clean sheet against you. But it’s part of football sometimes.”