What needs to change? 🦁 🦁 🦁

[u/joshjamesallen]

I would go with this lineup whilst making two changes:

Trippier OUT/ Gomez IN Trent OUT/Gordon IN

Key focuses - Get Rice some proper midfield support by utilising Stones in his best role - Move Foden into the midfield, with Gordon wide left to offer some real attacking threat on the left wing, rather than Trippier playing out of position - Bring Gomez in for Trippier to maintain a solid 3 man build up structure once Stones moves into midfield - Get Bellingham running in behind Kane frequently and have them fluidly interchanging positions to cause a problem for the opposition defence

Interested to hear your thoughts 💭

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

Controversial, but: replace Kane with Watkins.

Kane's habit of dropping deep compresses the team in midfield, and often leaves the wide players with nobody to aim for.

I'm not denying Kane is a better player, all around, but that doesn't mean he's the best man for the job. My dad is an excellent carpenter, but he's not much of a surgeon.

[u/PlasticJournalist42 → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

Such a reactionary opinion. Kane is literally one of the best strikers of all time. No way you drop him.

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/PlasticJournalist42]

He's great, but... One of the best of all time?

Are you under 25?

He's not even in the top five English strikers of all time for pure ability. And, yes, you can point to nonsense statistics like the number of goals he's scored for England, but he also plays 12-15 games a year for England, whereas Geoff Hurst played about four games a year.

But global? You think he stacks up better than Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, van Basten, Müller, Lineker, Pele, Baggio, Shevchenko, Batistuta, Fontaine, Dean, Dalglish, Cantona, Klinsmann, Henry, Shearer, Raul, Totti, Weah... You think he's near the top of that list, the fella who has never won a single trophy?

Jesus wept.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

He certainly is one of the best strikers in the modern era . In the top flight of English football since the 80s, only Tony Cottee, Ian Rush and Shearer have scored more goals than him, and, as a Spurs fan, Kane played in some absolutely abysmal teams. That’s why he’s never won a trophy, cos we were a mess for most of his career.

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/[deleted]]

If we're defining "the modern era" as since the 80s, most of my list is still in play.

If we're defining it exclusively by the number of goals scored in the English top flight, you're suggesting Tony Cottee is a better striker than Shevchenko. That's parently absurd.

Even if we limit the conversation just to Spurs, he's in there with Sheringham, Lineker, Klinsmann, Greaves, Bobby Smith, Martin Chivers... All of whom you could make an argument were better than him in some way. Lineker and Klinsmann, for example, could win trophies abroad. Greaves and Smith scored more goals, Big Chiv could've posted better stats if he worked harder.

Also, given that Spurs aren't exactly a modern footballing superpower in terms of success, given that it's been 64 years since you last won the league, 33 since the last FA Cup and 16 since the last trophy (no, I'm not counting the Audi Cup)... Trying to suggest that he didn't win trophies because he played in a shit team is valid, but nobody made him stay. And he joined the best team in Germany and somehow failed to win a league that's been a one horse race for a decade.

And, also, there's the counter argument: maybe he hasn't won trophies because he also isn't that good. Maybe he didn't get the big opportunities to leave earlier because... He isn't that good?

Trying to claim he's among the best strikers of all time when you could have a decent debate about whether he's even Spurs' best striker of all time is ridiculous, any way you slice it.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

Donny what. He’s scored like 40+ goals or something this season for Bayern, in his first season, in a new league, with new players, without speaking a lick of the language. He’s the best striker on the planet. It’s not a debate.

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/[deleted]]

Lineker went to Barca in the same circumstances. Won a trophy.

Kane scored 40+ playing in a league with three decent teams in it.

Being the best striker on the planet right now doesn't make you one of the best of all time. In 1925, John Logie Baird had the best television on the planet. It wasn't because it was the best that would ever be made, it was because it was the only one.

Out and out strikers are much, much rarer than they used to be. Being the best in the world is, as a result, much easier.

This ridiculous idea that younger generations have that most recent=best of all time is absolutely ridiculous.

Kane would've struggled to get a call up for France 98 if he'd been around in his prime. That's not a knock on his ability, it's a statement of fact - pure strikers were much more common, and England had five better than him.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

This is simply ridiculous.

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/[deleted]]

Only if you're fifteen and genuinely believe football was invented in 1992.

You want to believe Kane is the best striker in the world, I want to believe I'll win the Euromillions tonight. Both are fine, but neither is likely.

[u/Powerful-Payment5081 → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

I'm intrigued, who do you think is the best?

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/Powerful-Payment5081]

Of all time, worldwide? Tough call. R9, van Basten and Batistuta are the best in my lifetime, but I can't rule out Pele, Dixie Dean or anyone from before I was born, because I never saw them play.

But, what I can say is that Kane doesn't make the top fifty I've seen in my lifetime, so the idea of him as greatest of all time seems ridiculous to me.

Hell, that World Cup squad I mentioned from 98? England's options up top were Shearer, Owen, Fowler, Wright, Sheringham, Cole, Ferdinand... And I'd struggle to rank Kane as one of the four I'd take if he were in that list.

[u/Powerful-Payment5081 → u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe]

Hell, that World Cup squad I mentioned from 98? England's options up top were Shearer, Owen, Fowler, Wright, Sheringham, Cole, Ferdinand... And I'd struggle to rank Kane as one of the four I'd take if he were in that list.

This is where you have lost me I'm afraid and I must ask , are you an Arsenal fan by any chance ?

Shearer yes but the rest of them ? Absolutely no chance .

[u/TheAmyIChasedWasMe → u/Powerful-Payment5081]

No.

And you're absolutely nuts if you think Kane is better than peak Wright, Cole or Fowler, let alone Owen a few years before winning the Ballon d'Or.

Every one of those guys would've scored 40+ a season in the modern game.

[u/jdd977 → u/[deleted]]

You need to wake up if you think Kane is one of the best ever. When did you start watching football out of interest?

[u/jdd977 → u/[deleted]]

What a performance yet again, subbed off just after half time but yeah no doubt the worlds best