Tottenham no longer the Harry Kane team – here is how

Tottenham Hotspur were infamously dubbed “The Harry Kane Team” by Pep Guardiola, which did not go down well in north London. But there was an element of truth to it. Spurs’ play went through Kane, he was their top scorer and their leader.

The era of “Ange-ball” is focused on the collective, with the entire team pressing and attacking without the focus being on one talisman. This is how they are evolving under Ange Postecoglou in the post-Kane era:

Son as a central striker

Spurs focused on midfielders and versatile forwards in the summer transfer window rather than a No 9 as a focal point of Postecoglou’s attack. Part of this was due to Son Heung-min being able to play through the middle after years of providing assists for Kane from his wide starting position.

Son leads the press for Spurs, which is an important part of Postecoglou’s tactics. He is very different to other No 9s in the Premier League because of his dribbling ability. The South Korea international forward will not be a tap-in merchant this season, with his hat-trick against Burnley at the weekend coming from runs behind the defence.

“He wants to have the ball, he wants to dominate the game and he wants to play as high as possible and in their half of the pitch which our players are really interested in it and put a lot of effort into it so everyone is enjoying it and you could see on the pitch that everyone is playing with joy, with the happiness which is very helpful for the team,” said Son.

Mad for it

With slicked-back blonde hair and dictating play from the No 10 position, there is a familiarity to James Maddison’s performances so far this season. It was the area of the pitch Kane operated in during the last few years when he modified his game to play slightly deeper.

Maddison has even taken Kane’s No 10 shirt, which went almost unnoticed at the start of the campaign due to the haste at which Kane departed for Bayern Munich.

It is accepted that Kane will be irreplaceable but it is clear that Spurs will attack through Maddison under Postecoglou. He used a range of passing to drive his team forward at Turf Moore, then added a threat in and around the penalty area. Seems to thrive on stick from the crowd and getting fouled.

New leaders

Kane was not the captain for Spurs, with Hugo Lloris wearing the armband, but he was certainly the leader of the club. Without Lloris and Kane there is a different leadership group under Postecoglou.

Son has been appointed captain, with Maddison vice-captain and Cristian Romero next in line. All three were on target at Turf Moor during the 5-2 win against Burnley. Postecoglou said afterwards that the trio were taking their responsibilities seriously on a daily basis at Spurs’ training ground at Bulls Cross. “As good as they are individually, they have that team spirit and that’s important for me,” said Postecoglou.

Angles of attack

An important attacking angle comes from Pedro Porro at right-back. He drifts inside, as full-backs are doing increasingly, and can deliver passes behind opposition defences as well as traditional crosses. He has made defensive mistakes but is a genuine attacking threat for Spurs.

Destiny Udogie is also having a breakthrough campaign at left-back, having spent last season back at Udinese on loan. Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma provide a solid platform in midfield for others to push forward.

Fresh blood

Brennan Johnson has been brought in for £45 million from Nottingham Forest and will play across the front three. Postecoglou has seen raw talent that he can develop.

“He’s a real threat in the front third, he’s different from what we’ve already got, and he’s young and ambitious,” said the Spurs manager.

“It’s no secret that’s the model for me. It’s just as much about the person as well as the footballer and looking at him he’s going to fit in really well with this group, he’s ambitious and hungry and wants to take his game to the next level. The technical and the physical attributes he has he should fit in really well.”

Spreading the goals

There have been seven different goalscorers in Spurs’ four Premier League matches. Son had not found the net before the weekend, while Romero is in freescoring form having scored twice this season after drawing a blank in the last campaign.

Emerson Royal, Dejan Kulusevski, Sarr and an own goal means the goals have been spread out, rather than relying on one playing now Kane has gone.

“Harry is one of the best players in the world and one of the best players to work with and if you have Harry Kane on your team you have 20 to 30 goals in your pocket safely but this is part of football,” said Son. “Everyone has to take a big responsibility because you have no Harry Kane on your team.”