Arsenal Vs Spurs: Harry Kane and history

Arsenal host Spurs in the first North London Derby of the season on Sunday afternoon. Harry Kane and his historically great record will have to be contained.

It is the biggest game of the season. Two top-four challengers. Two bitter rivals. A three-point gap that leaves both teams lurching in limbo. This is the first North London Derby of the season.

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For Arsenal, this is very much a statement game. When it used to be Spurs who were hoping to use north London derbies to vindicate their top-four challenges, now the roles have reversed. It is Spurs who are the measuring stick to be compared with. It is the Gunners who must prove themselves capable.

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If they are to prove themselves capable, it is in defence where the biggest questions pertain. Under Unai Emery, there have been some defensive improvements this season, but they have been marginal. Arsenal are still on pace to concede 46.8 goals. You can see the work that Emery is doing, but the effects are still inconsistent, to say the least. This is also where the primary threat from Spurs will come, and it will come through one man.

Harry Kane is perhaps unlike any other centre-forward in the world. Quick enough to run the channels, strong enough to bully defenders, big enough to dominate in the air, he is arguably the most complete, out-and-out striker in world football. He can play with his back to goal, he can drop deep, he can be creative, he can be a fox-in-the-box, he can take set-pieces (though not corners in the European Championships). There is very little that cannot do. And he also has a rather strong propensity for scoring goals.

Kane has scored more than 20 goals in four straight league seasons, including 30 last season, and has seven in 13 matches this year. He also has a terrifying history against Arsenal, scoring seven goals in seven league games against them, failing to score in just one of those matches.

Containing Kane is not easy. Unlike some more limited centre-forwards, he cannot be veered towards his weaknesses. That is because he does not really have any. You cannot overpower him. You cannot force him wide and out of position — he is quite happy being out there. You cannot press high on his first touch. While with other strikers, you can key in on their weaknesses and structure the game such that they are forced to use elements of their game that are not as polished, Kane is so complete that that tactic does not work.

And yet, that is precisely the task that awaits this somewhat enigmatic Arsenal defence. Can Shkodran Mustafi pull off one of his blinders? Will Sokratis provide enough aggression and steel to dominate? Might Lucas Torreira’s screening influence from midfield starve the service, especially through the middle third?

These are all questions that will be answered on Sunday. And the problem with Kane is that Arsenal could successfully answer all these questions and still not stop him. Sometimes, the opposition is just too good.