Antonio Conte insists he was always confident about the mentality of Harry Kane despite a poor World Cup outing. Harry Kane scored just two goals for England at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The World Cup is over, and everybody has moved on to other things. The Premier League is back, with several matches played on Boxing Day. The excitement of the most popular league is back as teams chase points to achieve their different goals. While Arsenal sits atop the table, Manchester City and Newcastle are snapping at their heels, while Tottenham are making a case for themselves.
There were fascinating results in the Boxing Day matches that suggests the battle would be intense. Wolverhampton Wanderers, under a new manager Julen Lopetegui have started clawing their way out of the relegation zone, while Southampton finds themselves in dangerous waters. Everton and West Ham are still in the rut and need to start racking points to survive relegation.
Meanwhile, Tottenham survived a scare against Brentford in their first game after the World Cup. Spurs came from two goals down to earn a point against the Bees, with Harry Kane scoring a goal in the 2-2 draw. The performance has Conte gushing about Kane and insisting on his confidence in the striker.
Conte has zero doubt about Harry Kane’s mentality
Tottenham returned to action in the Premier League after the World Cup break with a clash against Brentford. It was not straightforward for Spurs, as they had to dig deep in the 2-2 draw with the Bees. Harry Kane scored in the tense affair after a disappointing campaign at the Mundial.
Harry Kane led England to Qatar, where they fell in the quarter-final to France. Harry Kane missed a crucial penalty that damned the Three Lions and saw their campaign come to an inglorious end. The game against Brentford was his first since that debacle, and he showed no signs of a World Cup hangover.
Kane was the subject of abuse from a section of the Brentford fans, who chanted you let your country down during the 2-2 draw. The abuse targeted at Kane did not faze the English international, who went about his business and scored with a header to earn Spurs a share of the spoils. The goal brings his Premier League goal tally this season to 13.
Conte remains confident in Kane
Conte told BBC Sport that he did not doubt the mentality of his striker. According to the Italian manager, Kane is facing a strange situation. Conte believes Kane had a good World Cup, with England reaching the quarter-final. Despite missing a decisive penalty and costing England a possible place in the semi-final, Conte believes he did well.
Conte said if you are strong mentally, you move on. He continued that Kane had moved on from the debacle. He opined that he thinks the fans were scared because he plays for Tottenham and not for his performance in Qatar. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also praised Harry Kane, saying underestimating his strength is a big mistake.
