The Athletic’s Tottenham reporter, Charlie Eccleshare, has dropped a glowing report of Harry Kane’s resurrection under manager Antonio Conte.
The Lowdown
The England captain suffered a difficult start to the Premier League season, scoring just one goal in Spurs’ opening 13 matches. Nine of these games were played during Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief stint at the club, with the Portuguese boss often pushing the striker to drift out wide – where he ultimately posed little to no threat.
In these nine top flight matches under Nuno, Kane averaged 2.3 shots and 1.2 shots on target per 90 minutes. That figure is up to 4.3 shots and 1.7 shots on target per 90 minutes in his ten league appearances under Conte.
This includes a staggering ten shots against Leicester City last month, albeit only three were on target, but it shows the Italian has got him back to his confident self in front of goal.
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The Latest
The Athletic’s Eccleshare shared these statistics on Twitter, singing the 28-year-old’s praises in his latest article.
Eccleshare claimed that “one of Conte’s biggest tasks at THFC was to return Kane to his best” and that “the early signs are, he’s doing just that”.
He further added a comparison of the striker’s statistics under Nuno and Conte:
“Non-penalty xG (expected goals) 0.22 per 90 under Nuno; 0.54 per 90 under Conte.”
The Verdict
Illustrated by Eccleshare’s statistics, Kane is back in unstoppable form. The England international has scored four goals in the Lilywhites’ last six Premier League games, and it is clear to see that he is once again playing with a smile on his face.
Before the Italian boss arrived at Hotspur Way, he was already impressed with the Tottenham star. Whilst working as a pundit between managerial gigs last summer, Conte said that, as a coach, he would keep Kane in the box because that’s where “he’s devastating”.
Former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino had the same opinion of the forward, claiming that he is a “killer” in front of goal. It sure is good to see that killer instinct back if you’re a Lilywhites fan, and Conte may well be to thank for it.
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