The 'Harry Kane team' inference was put to bed when Tottenham beat Bournemouth... and it was only fitting that Christian Eriksen hit the winner

  • Tottenham 1-0 Bournemouth: Christian Eriksen strike downs the Cherries
  • Harry Kane failed to find the net against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon
  • Mauricio Pochettino had been dubbed the 'Harry Kane team' by Pep Guardiola
  • But a goal from the genius that is Christian Eriksen was the perfect response

For 46 minutes, it all felt a little awkward. Plainly the ‘Harry Kane team’ inference is nonsense to anyone who has watched Tottenham play under Mauricio Pochettino, but in the context of the past 24 hours, this game was threatening to embarrass the Argentine.

Having taken such big swings at Pep Guardiola on Friday, he put himself in the rather peculiar situation of wanting more than a victory.

It wasn’t a case of ‘needing’ more – in the pragmatic world of football, points are the only things that truly matter. But it is reasonable to aspire to more, to dress the windows a little, and in this instance the unspoken desire would have been to silence Guardiola and a narrative that the Catalan claims he never intended.

The ¿Harry Kane team¿ inference is nonsense to anyone who has watched Tottenham recently

The ‘Harry Kane team’ inference is nonsense to anyone who has watched Tottenham recently

Having taken big swings at Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino put himself in the firing line

Having taken big swings at Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino put himself in the firing line

To that end, the first half was a woeful disappointment – Harry Kane wasn’t delivering and, inconveniently, neither were Tottenham.


But all is well that ends well and by the whistle this was ideal for Pochettino – he got his win and a man not named Kane did the heavy lifting.

Appropriately, it was Christian Eriksen who made the important contribution, for he has his own supporters in the debate of Tottenham’s best player. He is a genius in his craft, a playmaker who over the course four seasons has consistently delivered.

This was not his finest game, but then again he was probably still the best man on the field, even without his little moment in the 47th minute, when he rode a heavy tackle with one such and feathered the winner with the next.

Appropriately, it was Christian Eriksen who broke the deadlock against Bournemouth

Appropriately, it was Christian Eriksen who broke the deadlock against Bournemouth

He is a genius in his craft, a playmaker who over  four seasons has consistently delivered

He is a genius in his craft, a playmaker who over four seasons has consistently delivered

The Dane¿s numbers show his impact ¿ three goals and three assists in all competitions

The Dane’s numbers show his impact – three goals and three assists in all competitions

Eriksen alone can shoot down the idea of this Spurs team being a one-man side

Eriksen alone can shoot down the idea of this Spurs team being a one-man side

The Dane’s numbers show his impact – three goals and three assists in all competitions. It was 12 goals and 23 assists last season, and before that nine and 15, 12 and five and 10 and 10. Brilliant, consistent, a 25-year-old who has drawn the attention of Barcelona in the past and probably will again in the future.

Eriksen alone can shoot down the idea of this being a one-man side, but that would overlook other components in what is a gloriously gifted side. From the back, Hugo Lloris is among the best goalkeepers in the world, while Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are the best centre-half pairing in the Premier League. 

Dele Alli is frequently the most impressive player on the pitch, while a few of the absentees from this match are quite handy in their own right – Danny Rose is perhaps the best left back in the division and Mousa Dembele is arguably Pochettino’s favourite player.

Hugo Lloris, who made a stunning save, is among the best goalkeepers in the world

Hugo Lloris, who made a stunning save, is among the best goalkeepers in the world

Toby Alderweireld, along with Jan Vertonghen, has been impressive
Vertonghen and Alderweireld are the best centre-half pairing in the Premier League

Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are the best centre-half pairing in the Premier League

So to suggest they are all indebted to a brilliant frontman would be grossly unfair, even if it is open to some debate whether Guardiola even meant that. He denies it and the truth is that Pochettino appeared a little over-sensitive in his response on Friday.

But it is an argument that gets a frequent airing in stadiums all over – are Tottenham too heavily reliant on Kane?

The answer is that they rely on him as much as any club relies on an incredible goal scorer of rare gifts. And he probably is their most important player. But to think he does it alone is just daft. Thankfully for Pochettino, Eriksen has made that argument a little easier to win.

Spurs' central midfielder Mousa Dembele is arguably Pochettino¿s favourite player

Spurs' central midfielder Mousa Dembele is arguably Pochettino’s favourite player

Kane is probably Spurs' most important player but to think he does it alone is just daft

Kane is probably Spurs' most important player but to think he does it alone is just daft