Tottenham have a striking crisis on their hands after England captain Harry Kane was ruled out of action until March with an ankle injury. The 25-year-old picked up the injury in stoppage-time of Spurs 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday.
The injury to their talisman and the absence of Heung-Min Son, who is at the Asia games with South Korea, has created a huge problem for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Although Son is not always considered a central striker, the South Korean has filled in up front in Kane’s absence in the past. However, with Son unavailable, that means that Spurs have just one senior striker available in Fernando Llorente.
The Spaniard has enjoyed very limited game time with the north London club since his arrival from Swansea in the summer of 2017. The veteran striker has mostly been used as an impact substitute or started cup games.
The Spaniard scored a hat-trick earlier this season in a FA Cup mauling of Tranmere but has played just 36 minutes in the Premier League over six substitute appearances. Llorente is not a terrible option, but his lack of game time will mean he is rusty.
Pochettino may use a different tactic, maybe using one of his attacking midfielders such Erik Lamela or Lucas Moura as a central striker. However, with Son away and Moussa Sissoko injured, Spurs options in the attacking midfield areas are limited too.
Kane’s injury has come at a terrible time in the campaign for the north London club. A few weeks ago, they were regarded as realistic title challengers. However, now they are just one point clear of fourth place Chelsea in the table.
The striking crisis is also likely to affect their chances of making it past Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Tottenham’s fortunes have certainly taken a twist in the last month. However, with a decent run of fixtures in the near future everybody connected with the club will be hoping they can weather the storm until their top forward players return to action.