How Tottenham can cope without Kane and Son as Pochettino faces season-defining games against Chelsea and Crystal Palace
Poch has worked out how to shape his attacking front three when Kane is not available
FROM the doom and gloom swilling around social media, you would think it is the end of the world for Spurs.
No Harry Kane - no chance.
So as a grimacing Kane hobbled off the Wembley pitch, at the end of a 45-minute siege of David De Gea’s goal which found the United keeper in impassable form, the hearts of many Tottenham fans sunk.
Mauricio Pochettino admitted a long-term absence of his striker and talisman would be a “massive blow”, compounded as Heung-min Son left the Arch to go straight to Heathrow and a flight out to the United Arab Emirates and potentially three weeks at the Asian Cup.
Kane has already become the first Spurs player, in the history of the club, to score 20 goals in five successive seasons.
Even the great Jimmy Greaves did not do that (although he scored 20 in eight of his nine campaigns at White Hart Lane).
The England skipper has been in a rich vein of form, too. Before Sunday he had scored in seven straight games in all competitions and been the focal point of Pochettino’s team.
Fernando Llorente may have scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup at Tranmere but that WAS the FA Cup. And it WAS Tranmere.
The Spaniard has become little more than an option of last resort, a desperation measure. If he leads the line, then Spurs may struggle to break down Fulham next Sunday, let alone find the goals they may need against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
And if they miss out on that Wembley date, Crystal Palace will fancy their chances of turning them out of the FA Cup as well four days later.
Realistic chances of silverware would then be over, with Spurs’ top four hopes at risk. And they wouldn’t exactly fancy themselves against Dortmund in the Champions League.
But Spurs have developed under Pochettino.
They are not the same without Kane. They could not be. But they are not necessarily worse. Just different.
Yes, when Kane was injured against Sunderland in September 2016, they struggled to adapt.
An initial bounce saw three straight wins over Middlesbrough, CSKA Moscow and Manchester City - Pep Guardiola’s first defeat in English football.
But opponents swiftly worked out Vincent Jansen and Spurs went seven without a win, including draws against West Brom, Bournemouth and Leicester.
Defenders were happy to get tight to Jansen when he pushed up on them and when the Dutchman dropped they could let him go, safe in the knowledge that - unlike Kane - he could not hurt them.
Pochettino realised it was costly and promised himself he would not be found out again.
And when Kane was injured in the first few minutes of an FA Cup game with Millwall the following March, he had that solution.
No Kane, but no shortage of goals. Six against Millwall, two against Southampton and Burnley, four against Watford.
Pochettino’s plan was simple. Don’t play one up - Jansen isn’t good enough.
Instead, play three up. In that case, Dele Alli, Son and Christian Eriksen.
How Spurs' attacking line-up will change
EXPECT Mauricio Pochettino to change Spurs' attack with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son gone.
The front three will likely be made up of Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura sprinting forward.
Christian Eriksen will remain in a deeper role.
He occupied that spot when Son was available and will likely stay there to provide the passes to the front three.
And so, when Kane was injured in a collision with Bournemouth keeper Asmir Begovic last season, there was again no panic, despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
When Kane went off at the Vitality Stadium, on came Erik Lamela, who formed the new-look attacking trident with Dele and Son, as Eriksen played behind that line of three.
Even without Kane, Spurs scored four in the remaining game at Bournemouth, put three past Swansea in the FA Cup and, for the first time since 1990, won at Chelsea.
Of course, Son, with his ability to run in behind, was so critical in the last two of those spells.
He scored seven in five games in spring of 2017, two at Bournemouth last season. And with 12 already to his name this term, Pochettino will be desperate for Korea to make an early exit - although they have already qualified for the last 16 after just two group games.
But Pochettino does have Lamela and, of course, Lucas Moura. He can still play a front three, with Eriksen withdrawn. Not ideal. Yet not terrible.
What it might mean, though, is Mousa Dembele’s departure to China being put on hold, which is possible because the Chinese transfer window does not shut until the end of NEXT month.
If Spurs are to play three up front plus Eriksen, they will need two defensive midfielders.
Eric Dier is close to a return after his appendectomy but Victor Wanyama has not played since Crystal Palace in November, that only his seventh appearance of the season, while Moussa Sissoko twanged his hamstring just before Marcus Rashford struck for United.
Pochettino has faith in Harry Winks and young Oliver Skipp but Dier’s return cannot come quickly enough.
Kane is a big miss, for however long he is out. The wait for the result of the scans will be a nervous one.
It is not, though, the end of Spurs. At least, not yet...