Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte may well have to ‘be careful’ with Harry Kane and rest him ahead of the crunch European clash in midweek.
Spurs suffered the most dramatic end to their most recent Champions League game when they had a last-minute goal ruled out, meaning they are yet to secure qualification from their group.
As a result, after playing Bournemouth this Saturday in the Premier League, they will have to travel away to Marseille on Tuesday needing a big display from their key players.
With that in mind, Jones has warned that Conte may be wise to give Kane some sort of break and potentially substitute him at some stage against the Cherries if possible.
Speaking on the Chasing Green Arrows podcast, he explained: “I think that there’s a chance he doesn’t even play 90 in this game. I think that that has to be a consideration, too.
“Conte is going to have to be careful with Kane. It’s not very often he does get rotated or taken off, but he might have to.
“That game on Tuesday is so, so important to Tottenham now. And this game [against Bournemouth] – if Tottenham lost this game, it’s obviously not good, but it’s better than losing the next game.”
TIF Thoughts on Harry Kane and Spurs…
Tottenham currently sit third in the Premier League after a strong start to the domestic campaign, so if their ambitions are to make the Champions League places again, they may be able to afford dropping a few points this weekend.
Of course, though, Kane is such a key player for the club – having scored 10 goals in 12 league games so far this term – that it’s unlikely Conte would be willing to rest him completely.
With that in mind, it’s fair to expect the Englishman to start, but he could well be subbed off against the Cherries at some point later on in the game.
He has made it to the 90-minute mark in all but one league game this season – a 2-1 win against Fulham – so it would be a bit of a surprise, but with so many games to deal with, Conte may be forced into making this key decision.
Would you rest Harry Kane at some stage this weekend?
Yes
No
