Regardless of how the coming weeks play out, it is fair to say that Spurs have been an absolute shambles this season.
Their form has been shocking for the vast majority of the campaign, playing a dour brand of football and lacking any sort of conviction on the pitch. Having fallen out with Antonio Conte and getting him sacked, they got even worse after his departure, culminating in the 6-1 defeat against Newcastle last weekend that saw interim boss Critstian Stellini leave his role.
Spurs did manage to restore some pride in midweek, mustering a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United. In saying that, they were two goals down at halftime in that game and only came back into it after the opposition inexplicably took their foot off the gas in the second half.
It was yet another shocking performance from them for large periods.
Speaking to Sky Sports this weekend, Harry Kane said the changing culture at the club under recent managers has affected the players and they hope to finish strongly in the weeks ahead. He also said that the team showed fight in the game against United and bounced back well from the embarrassment at Newcastle.
Harry Kane discusses his targets for the rest of the season, and admits that Tottenham have lost some of the values they held under Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking like a true fan of the club, who wants to be central to the rebuild.
Via @SkySports @SkySportsNews 👇#THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/0hOFlRcxSQ— Football Confidential 🌐 (@footballconfid1) April 30, 2023
After the Newcastle game and going 2-0 down at half time it could have been easy to fold in the second half of the Man Utd game.
We did the opposite; we came out fighting with desire and passion and a hunger to turn things around. In football many things can happen but we showed that we are together and we're a team.
I think Ryan Mason's done really great in a short space of time to get us feeling that way and, yeah, it was good. Of course, a draw is never what you're setting out to do, you're setting out to win but when you look at the circumstances it was a good hard-earned point in the end.
However, those comments have not gone down well in some quarters.
Graeme Souness clashes with pundits over Harry Kane comments
Speaking on Sky Sports this afternoon, Graeme Souness was not buying the comments from Harry Kane in that interview. He hammered the Spurs striker for his attitude, saying that him praising their performance against Manchester United summed up everything wrong with the players at the club.
I'll be as polite as I possibly can. When you're a professional, passion and desire should be with you all the time. It's not a light switch, you can't flick it on and off.
Harry came across there as if he had been media trained, he knew what questions were coming, and he knew how he was going to answer them, maybe he consulted someone in PR at Spurs.
I know I'm a certain age and I'm from a different generation, but I find that so weak...
These players when they come on today, they're media trained. Supporters don't want to hear that. Passion and desire for 45 minutes against Man United? What about going back to the first game of the season in August?
That's where the passion and desire starts, and it's with you throughout the season. Then you might win something. You don't consistently let down supporters like this group of Spurs players have. They've let down managers, supporters, themselves and their families.
I feel embarrassed for him making that comment, and I'm a big fan of Harry Kane's.
🗣️ "I feel embarrassed for Harry Kane." 😡
Graeme Souness criticises Harry Kane's interview calling him "media trained" pic.twitter.com/aeqpNwrzZ6— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 30, 2023
Those words did not go down well with his fellow pundits.
Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Keane, who are both known to be very friendly with Kane on a personal level, did not appreciate Souness' comments. Despite this, he doubled down on his original point.
Redknapp: What could he have said then Graeme?
Souness: I think he could have said he was disappointed with him. He should have started with himself, 'I've let myself down, I've let my family down, I've let everybody I work with down'.
Redknapp: I don't think he has though, has he?
Souness: No, but I think he still has to say that as a captain. I think the players at Spurs today, they're bordering on being a disgrace.
Keane: One thing you can't do is question Harry Kane.
Souness: I'm not questioning him as a player, I think he's a fabulous player. What I am questioning is that interview he gave there. He has been told the questions beforehand and he is trying to trot out a message of positivity, that doesn't do it for me.
It's difficult to argue against Souness here. As good as Harry Kane is as a player, he has shown at various points in his career that he is not likely to stand up and be counted when the going gets tough both on and off the pitch.
He has failed to perform in various finals for Spurs, as well as big tournament games for England. When it comes to demanding the best from his teammates, it does not seem to be something he has in his locker.
Robbie Keane claimed that such criticisms were unfounded, but Souness was far less certain.
🗣️ "Leaders dig you out, does Harry do that for Spurs? Or does Harry look after Harry?"
Graeme Souness questions Harry Kane's leadership skills in the Tottenham dressing room pic.twitter.com/jOkkPSupik— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 30, 2023
Keane: I would never question Harry's determination or desire to do well.
Souness: I played with leaders. I'll tell you what leaders do, they dig you out. When it's not going well, you're misplacing passes and missing opportunities, they dig you out. Does Harry do that for Spurs, or does Harry look after Harry?
Keane: Of course he does. If you look at the Spurs squad, they're lacking a lot of leaders. Harry is one of those leaders. They don't have ten of them, they have two or three and Harry is one of those. I would never question Harry. For me, he has been incredible this season considering how bad Spurs have been.
Souness: I will never get fed up saying this, you will never do well at a football club unless you've got senior pros.
Redknapp: I think he will be sick to the stomach with how it has gone. He can't just sit there slagging his mates off.
Souness: Jamie, if he is sick to the stomach, he doesn't do that interview. He does a different type of interview.
Harry Kane will surely want to shed this label, although he might struggle to do so until he is consistently competing for honours at the highest level.
Based on his career so far, these types of criticisms are probably justified.
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