A fresh Spur
Kane prays a corner has been turned after Stoke thrashing
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane hopes the 5-1 victory over Stoke is proof his side are back to their best after going four matches without a league win.
Kane, whose brace on Saturday took his tally to 50 goals for the calendar year, will get a quick response as Spurs host Brighton today.
The poor run effectively ended their title challenge – they are 18 points off leaders Manchester City – but they are only two points adrift of Liverpool, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot.
“We had a tough spell in the Premier League recently and we wanted to put that right,” said Kane.
“We were all up for the Stoke game and we said we had to get ahead because we’ve been going behind and having to chase the game against teams like Stoke (and then) it’s difficult to get back into it.
“I feel good, I feel sharp. It was important for everyone to play well.”
Erik Lamela will be pushing for more game time having played his first home game in over a year against Stoke.
The Argentinian midfielder has made three substitute appearances following his hip injury and revealed the torment he felt during 13 months out of the game.
“I worked really hard and during the time that I was injured I suffered a lot, especially mentally,” he said.
“It was very good to go on the pitch and feel the reaction from all the people.”
Another player who is in form is Son Heung-min, who has often had to wait for his turn from the substitutes’ bench.
The South Korean has scored five in the last six matches and is motivated by the prospect of further game time.
“You never know when your chance is coming,” he said.
“You always have to be ready and you have to always be there.
“I’m just thinking that whenever I’m on the pitch, I need to make something happen.”
Victor Wanyama and Toby Alderweireld both remain sidelined with injuries but the former has given Spurs a boost by returning to training this week.
This is Brighton’s first league fixture with Tottenham since 1983 and they are boosted by being able to name a strong squad with only veteran Steve Sidwell unavailable.
They could also recall Anthony Knockaert after omitting the playmaker from the side that lost 2-0 at Huddersfield on Saturday.
The Seagulls have not won in five league matches but manager Chris Hughton is confident of an upturn in fortunes.
“We’ve got a very competitive squad at the moment and around that I have to make decisions,” he said.
“Sometimes you make good decisions, sometimes not so good, but I have to make those decisions around what I see at the time.” — AFP