Kane seals points but Alli absence adds to Pochettino’s troubles
Mauricio Pochettino is concerned that Tottenham’s international players are facing burn-out after ruling Dele Alli out of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Barcelona.
Pochettino confirmed that the midfielder has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury he picked up playing for England against Spain in the Uefa Nations League on Sept 8.
The problem caused Alli to miss Tottenham’s defeats by Liverpool and Inter Milan and there are concerns that he will be out for around a month.
Yet as the head coach reflected on a straightforward Premier League victory at Huddersfield, courtesy of two Harry Kane goals, his thoughts were dominated by injury worries.
Centre-back Jan Vertonghen and midfielder Mousa Dembele, who both helped Belgium to finish third at the World Cup, were withdrawn at halftime with muscle problems and Pochettino fears the pair may miss the Barcelona match.
That, coupled with Alli’s injury and Kane’s struggle for form since England’s memorable run to the semi-finals in Russia, prompted the coach to question Uefa’s wisdom in adding more competitive matches to the calendar.
Pochettino said: “The players finish the World Cup and they need to rest a few weeks. Then they start the Premier League and then there are the first international games.
“They play two games but they are not friendlies; instead, they play in the Nations League and all the teams want the best players to play. Who cares about the player?
“With the circumstances of the season, it’s a massive challenge for everyone. It’s not only us, there are a lot of teams that have the same problem.
“The players are not machines. You want to push and push and push them, and it’s not easy. No one helps, but we are warned before every single game to play the same players.”
Kane is now the Premier League’s top scorer at the John Smith’s Stadium, having added two goals to the double he scored last season. No Huddersfield player can match that achievement and therein lies their problem.
David Wagner’s side played with plenty of spirit, and deserved better, but did not have anyone as clinical as the England centre-forward. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how they can lift themselves off the bottom of the table.
Kane’s first came 25 minutes in. Terence Kongolo managed to hold up Lucas Moura’s run, injuring himself in the process, but the Brazilian got to his feet and fed Kieran Trippier to cross for Kane to head in.
Kongolo was carried off on a stretcher and his replacement, Florent Hadergjonaj, then conceded a penalty for a shirt tug on Danny Rose inside the area. Huddersfield felt the decision was harsh, but Kane stepped up and sent Jonas Lossl the wrong way.
The home side were out of luck at key times. They were appealing for a penalty in the first five minutes as Moura caught Chris Lowe on the edge of the area, and Paulo Gazzaniga did well to push aside the German defender’s swerving 25-yard shot following Kane’s opener.
Their biggest misfortune, though, came right on half-time, when Laurent Depoitre met Erik Durm’s cross on the run with a perfect volley that bounced out off the bar.
“If you perform consistently, as we’ve done, and create opportunities, the reward will come,” said David Wagner, the Huddersfield head coach. “We have to focus on this and nothing else.”