Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has warned Mauricio Pochettino that he would be taking a risk in starting Harry Kane up front in Tottenham’s Champions League final clash with Liverpool.
Kane has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury during Tottenham’s 1-0 win against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, but the England international has returned to first team training and could be involved against Liverpool.
In the England international’s absence Tottenham managed to reach the Champions League final, beating Ajax in the semi-finals with Lucas Moura scoring a stunning hat-trick in the second half of the second leg.
Benitez believes that Pochettino would be taking a risk in electing to start Kane in the final, so soon after his return from injury.
“The only one who can make the right decision is Pochettino, because he knows the player and he has been watching him training,” Benitez told Sky Sports.
“The player will say ‘yes I am fine’, because he will be desperate to play the final. So he has to talk with the medical staff and decide.
“They were doing so well and the players up front are so dynamic, to change that and put a player who is maybe not fully fit is a risk. We have to wait and see how confident Pochettino is with the fitness of Harry Kane.”
OPINION
Benitez is right to suggest that starting Kane up front against Liverpool could be a risk for Spurs in the Champions League final. The Spaniard has vast knowledge on how to approach such major occasions, having managed Liverpool to success in the Champions League during his spell at Anfield. Pochettino then might be wise to listen to Benitez’s advice, but will probably already be fully aware of the potential risk of starting Kane in Madrid. Tottenham have already, as Benitez alluded to, shown they can cope without the presence of the England international and still achieve success on the field without him. The likes of Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura will feel they are deserving of retaining their place in the line-up after playing crucial roles in Spurs getting to the final. However, when a player with the quality of Kane is waiting in the wings Pochettino will have a huge call to make ahead of the final, with the option of either starting him using him from the bench weighing heavily on the Argentine’s mind. Spurs fans will hope that Pochettino, as he often has at Tottenham, makes the right decision on the night.