JOSE COUNTS ON BRAINY KANE
Spurs boss looking to ‘master of football’ to silence Gunners in London derby
JOSE Mourinho expects Harry Kane to be fit to face Arsenal tomorrow after he had ice applied to his knee following a knock in Tottenham’s 2-0 Europa League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
The 27-year-old England captain scored both Spurs goals in the first leg oxf the last-16 tie in London on Thursday.
He now has 26 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this season and was hailed by Dinamo boss Zoran Mamic as a “master of football.”
Spurs manager Jose Mourinho is optimistic Kane will be fit for the north London derby.
“I hope so, I believe so,” he said.
“It is a big match, only big problems stop him to be there. Let’s see the reaction tomorrow (Friday) but I am sure he will be fine.”
Mourinho agreed with Mamic’s glowing assessment of Kane, highlighting his intelligence.
“Some strikers score lots of goals and that is the most important thing in football for a striker, which he does,” he said.
“But apart from that he understands every tip we give him, in terms of his positioning, movement, he understands the game very well.
“He feels the spaces, he looks around to see where other players are and he can affect the game. He is really a very good player.”
Mourinho is delighted with the
way his team have rebounded after a poor spell, winning their past five matches in all competitions.
They are now seventh in the Premier
League table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand. Arsenal are 10th.
Winning the Europa League would be another route into next season’s Champions League.
The 58-year-old Portuguese boss would have liked one extra goal against Dinamo to give his side a bigger cushion.
“The result could be a little bit bigger,” he said.
“A third goal would have come and fit very well in the reality of the game, but it is what it is.
“It’s still open. We have to go there and play a serious match because at 2-0 we are not yet in the quarter-finals.”