Tottenham travel to Wolves on Sunday in a crucial battle for the top four with the rarest of commodities: a rested Harry Kane.
The striker stayed at home for Wednesday’s dead-rubber at Bayern Munich, despite a desire to play and boost his chances of winning a first Champions League Golden Boot.
Such is Kane’s relentless pursuit of goals, he wants to play every possible minute. This mentality makes Kane what he is, but he has suffered five serious ankle ligament injuries since September 2016 and there is a feeling that he occasionally needs saving from himself.
Mauricio Pochettino was happy to indulge Kane’s insatiable desire to play, once saying that not starting him was like Barcelona benching Lionel Messi.
The former Spurs boss even introduced Kane from the bench when Spurs were already 6-0 up in an FA Cup game at Tranmere in January because he wanted to give the home fans the chance to watch the England captain in the flesh. Kane added Spurs’s final goal in a 7-0 win.
The most notable example was Pochettino’s decision to start Kane in the Champions League Final ahead of semi-final hat-trick hero Lucas Moura, despite him having not played for two months.
The question is whether Jose Mourinho will be more willing to treat his talisman with tough love by resting him more frequently.
Mourinho is a serial winner, who should be able to instantly command the respect of someone like Kane, who is desperate for trophies.
That change in dynamic may result in a new and more pragmatic approach to Kane’s game-time, particularly if Troy Parrott, 17, emerges as a viable alternative.
The visit to sixth-placed Wolves comes at the start of a crucial week for Spurs’s top-four ambitions, with Chelsea up next the following weekend.
A potential 12-point swing could transform the club’s outlook for the season and, luckily for Mourinho, Kane should be fit and firing.
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