Tottenham analysis: Harry Kane getting back to his best but Spurs injuries mount ahead of Barcelona

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Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP29 September 2018

Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham warmed-up for Wednesday's Champions League clash against Barcelona with a comfortable but feisty 2-0 win over Huddersfield at the John Smith's Stadium.

The England captain headed home Kieran Trippier's cross on 25 minutes before scoring from the penalty spot after Danny Rose was fouled.

The win moved Spurs into the top four, while the winless Terriers remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Dan Kilpatrick analyses the key talking points in Milton Keynes...

A little bit of history repeating

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If the first half felt familiar, it's because you've seen it before. Spurs won 4-0 here at the same stage of last season and the early stages followed an identical pattern. Huddersfield roared out of the blocks – pressing high, kicking long and winning all of the 50-50s. But they didn't score, and just like last season Spurs took the lead on the counterattack through Harry Kane and quickly doubled their lead when the 24-year-old scored from the penalty spot for the second game running after substitute Florent Hadergjonaj clipped Danny Rose.

Kane's double means he is now the top Premier League scorer at the John Smith's, which said everything about the likelihood of David Wagner's side coming back into this game: they simply do not have the firepower. If the definition of insanity is trying the same thing again and expecting different results, then perhaps Wagner is to blame for this defeat. Twice he has tried to swarm Spurs from the first kick-off rather than opting for a policy of frustration. Twice Spurs have picked off the hosts and killed the game within 35 minutes. If Huddersfield survive the drop, which already looks a fanciful prospect, Wagner should try something different against Tottenham next season.

Kane back in business

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The early signs were not particularly encouraging for Harry Kane. On Spurs' first venture forward, he controlled Lucas Moura's cross rather than shooting first-time, and the chance went. Minutes later, Kane bore down on Jonas Loss' goal with menace but the Huddersfield goalkeeper saved his dinked effort. They were chances Kane would have scored last season and they only added to the feeling that he has not been the same since suffering ankle ligament damage in March. But a great striker responds to misses and Kane reminded everyone of his greatness after 25 minutes when he rose like a salmon to nod home Trippier's cross. The goal owed plenty to Lucas' tenacity but it was a textbook Kane finish. He then sent Lossl the wrong way from the penalty spot and although he hesitated when clean through in the second half, he looked much more like the Kane of old. Spurs' win at Huddersfield last season was Kane at the peak of his powers and, arguably, it was his most complete performance of the campaign. This year, Spurs fans will be hoping this showing was just the start, rather than the pinnacle.

Dier form a concern

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What has happened to Eric Dier? The midfielder-cum-defender's calamitous start to the season continued with another sloppy performance at Huddersfield. He spent the first half in the centre of midfield, where his passing accuracy was a measly 74 percent. At least once, he shanked the ball straight out of ball and on another occasion he played a five-yard pass straight to an opponent. By way of comparison, the passing accuracy of his partner Mousa Dembele was 94 percent. At half-time, Pochettino replaced Dembele and Jan Vertonghen, who had tweaked his right hamstring, with Harry Winks and Victor Wanyama, and Dier moved into the back-three. His performance did not improve much. He was guilty of a needless foul for a blatant push on Laurent Depoitre and continued to struggle with the ball at his feet. Dier is a useful cog in the Pochettino machine, largely because he is versatile and dependable. On this form, however, he would be a real liability against Barcelona on Wednesday.

Injuries mounting for Pochettino

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Before the game, Pochettino insisted, as everyone knew he would, that he was only thinking about Huddersfield, despite the looming prospect of Barcelona's visit to Wembley in the Champions League on Wednesday. The manager's team selection suggested otherwise, however. With Christian Eriksen (abdomen) and Dele Alli (hamstring) both missing, it would have been logical to start Erik Lamela behind Kane to inject some much-needed creativity into his side. Instead, Pochettino reverted to a back-three – perhaps in a bid to counter Huddersfield from set-pieces – and left the in-form Argentine on the bench. Lamela, surely, is being saved for Barca, when his relentless energy will be essential. In the end, Spurs' lack of guile did not matter but the first-half injury to Jan Vertonghen might. The Belgian centre-half had treatment for a muscle problem in the first half and he was replaced at half-time. Vertonghen surely joins Hugo Lloris (thigh) and Eriksen as a doubt for Wednesday, while Alli is almost certainly out. Without Vertonghen, it would be very hard for Spurs to get something from Barca. With him, they have a chance.

Plucky Huddersfield deserved more

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In spite of Huddersfield's naivety, they deserve some credit for the way they took the game to Spurs, even at 2-0 down, and in the end the scoreline was a little harsh on the Terriers. Paulo Gazzaniga, increasingly Spurs' lucky charm, saved well from Chris Lowe's spectacular half-volley which appeared to be creeping around the post at the end of the first half, before Depoitre crashed a well-struck effort off the underside of the crossbar minutes later. Had the hosts started the second half within a goal of Spurs, it might have been a very different game. Ultimately, however, for all their physicality and hard running, Huddersfield are desperately short of cutting edge in the final third.

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