Under-pressure Kane and Salah in the spotlight
SPURS AND LIVERPOOL STRIKERS HAVE STRUGGLED THIS SEASON
Harry Kane and Mohammad Salah have the perfect stage to end their unexpected slumps when the superstar strikers go head to head at Wembley today.
Just four months ago, Tottenham striker Kane and Liverpool forward Salah were being hailed as Europe’s most feared marksmen after the pair tore through Premier League defences on a weekly basis.
Yet they go into this weekend’s eagerly anticipated clash between Tottenham and Liverpool with concerns about their ability to maintain that breathtaking form in the midst of a post-World Cup malaise.
Kane and Salah slugged it out for the Premier League’s Golden Boot prize right up to the last game of the season.
The Egypt international, with 32 goals, pipped his England rival to the coveted prize despite Kane’s first 30-leaguegoal season.
Salah bagged an incredible 44 goals in all competitions in his debut year with Liverpool, earning him the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Association player of the year awards.
But Salah’s season came to a bitter conclusion in the Champions League final when he suffered a shoulder injury after a cynical challenge from Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos.
Leaving the pitch in tears, Salah’s departure triggered Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat and ultimately cast a cloud over his World Cup, where he missed the first match and was unable to stop Egypt crashing out at the group stage.
The 26-year-old returned to Merseyside to kick off the new ■ campaign with a goal in demolition of West Ham.
But while Salah has scored twice in four games so far for Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Liverpool, he has not been the effervescent figure that tormented the opponents last term. The combination of lethal finishing and off-the-cuff inspiration that made him such a joy to watch has been replaced with a more subdued demeanour that gives the impression he has lost his mojo for now. Replicating the sky-high standards of 2017-18 was never going to be easy for Salah and, ironically, he was warned of the potential for a sophomore slump by Kane last May.
“For me it is about doing it year after year. Any player wants to do it on a consistent basis and that’s what defines a good player from a great player,” he said.
Respectful relationship
Kane and Salah have a respectful relationship, but their rivalry intensified when Salah questioned the decision to award Tottenham’s second goal in April’s 2-0 win at Stoke to Kane, after it had initially been credited to Christian Eriksen.
Mauricio Pochettino said: “I think Liverpool is one of the best teams in England and Europe and it will be a tough game.
“I’ve not read or listened to what’s going on around Harry, the most important thing for me is that we trust him, he’s one of the best strikers in the World. When a striker isn’t finding the net people need to try to find a reason why.
“Harry Kane for us is so important. [There’s] No doubt he’s one of the best players in England and Europe. Under our assessment he’s ready to play, of course that doesn’t mean he will.”
Kane may have been hurt by the perception he was greedily hunting individual accolades but, undeterred, the England captain finished as top scorer at the World Cup with six goals.