da doce： [ad_pod ]
da poker： Tottenham Hotspur fans continue to sweat over the fitness of Harry Kane.
The England striker has reportedly confirmed that he is fit to play in the Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday in Madrid.
There remains genuine intrigue over manager Mauricio Pochettino’s selection, however, with Lucas Moura having scored a hat-trick against Ajax in the semi-final; will he be dropped?
The fact of the matter, though, is this: It is Winks who is the most important Harry for Spurs this weekend, not Kane.
Winks is an exceptional midfield player and he too is a fitness doubt. He hasn’t played for the club since April, missing the second leg against Manchester City in the quarter-finals and both legs of the encounter with Ajax, and has recently undergone groin surgery.
Without him, Spurs have lacked control in midfield. Victor Wanyama started all of the three games that Winks missed and has, quite frankly, looked out of his depth.
That is perhaps not his fault but Ajax ran rings around him in the semi-finals and, in Amsterdam, he was substituted and replaced by Fernando Llorente at half-time.
Having the England international in the centre of the pitch, though, has a two-pronged effect on the club’s midfield. Firstly, Spurs have a greater opportunity to dominate possession and dictate proceedings. And secondly, Moussa Sissoko is freed up and allowed to drive forward, influencing the game in the final third.
Per WhoScored, across nine Champions League games, Winks averages one key pass per game, along with a 90.7% pass completion rate.
He makes 1.8 tackles per game, 0.8 interceptions and plays 2.6 long balls. This is a player who does really well whenever he’s on the pitch and while he doesn’t have one particularly standout skill, he is remarkably efficient at pretty much everything.
Wanyama, by comparison, is slow and ponderous on the turn, while Eric Dier is essentially worse than the Kenyan in every single area, bar free-kicks.
Winks’ return to fitness, then, could be the key to Spurs winning the midfield battle, dominating possession and creating chances.
If Kane is out, it is expected that one of Lucas, Son Heung-Min, Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli will step up. Without Winks, Spurs’ hopes rest on Wanyama and Dier.
He is quite clearly the most important returnee this weekend.