Spurs’ dynamic duo of Son, Kane give Mourinho an old-school style

On Oct 27, 2020

BURNLEY, England — Tottenham Hotspur are a tough team to define under Jose Mourinho — rampant one game, defensively-naïve the next and there are also more questions than answers right now when it comes to Gareth Bale and Dele Alli.

But there is one certainty with Spurs and that is the unerring ability if Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane to deliver when Mourinho’s side needs a goal.

Just as Monday’s trip to Burnley appeared to be heading for a dismal 0-0 draw, the Kane-Son double-act struck again to seal a 1-0 victory and extend Tottenham’s 100% run away from home this season to five straight wins.

Spurs had scored 16 goals in four road trips prior to the visit to Turf Moor, hitting Manchester United for six and putting five past Southampton during that run, but Son’s 76th minute header was enough to clinch a win that leaves Burnley marooned in the bottom three with just one point from five games.

And once again, the goal came courtesy of a Kane assist, with the England captain heading on Erik Lamela‘s corner for Son to head home from six yards.

It is the 13 Premier League goal between Kane and Son in six games this season.

“Me and Sonny have had a nice little partnership going recently and hopefully it continues,” Kane said after the game. “It was not an amazing assist but it fell well for Sonny and 1-0 away to Burnley is a fantastic result.”

It was Kane’s eighth assist of the season — twice as many as his closest rival, Aston Villa‘s John McGinn — and was the 29th time that he and Son had combined for a Premier League goal. Only Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have more in Premier League history, with the former Chelsea pair racking up 36 goal combinations during their time together at Stamford Bridge.

Many of those goals would have come under Mourinho during his first spell in charge at Chelsea, so the Spurs boss will know the value of having two attacking players in his team who seemingly always know where the other will be when the goal is in sight.

Lampard and Drogba helped Mourinho’s Chelsea win everything in England. Whether Spurs can be quite as dominant as that Chelsea side remains to be seen, but with Kane and Son in his side, Mourinho knows that they will at least be competitive.

And in a rare display magnanimity, Mourinho credited his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, with laying the foundations of the Son-Kane partnership.

“It is an understanding that comes from Maurcio’s time,” Mourinho said. “I don’t want all the credit myself, let’s share with Mauricio. They play together for a long time, probably a different way because Harry is not always a No. 9 now.

“What pleases me more about them both is that they are two top players but close friends, no jealousy, they both play for the team. Credit to them, two great players, two great boys.”

The modern game has moved away from the strike pairings of old, with coaches…