'They looked a little bit off' - Paul Robinson highlights positive despite Kane and Son not scoring

Paul Robinson has claimed that it is a ‘huge positive’ that Tottenham Hotspur managed to beat Southampton 4-1 last weekend without Harry Kane or Heung-min Son getting on the scoresheet.

Spurs kicked off their Premier League campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in convincing fashion against the Saints courtesy of goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Dejan Kulusevski, and an own goal from Mohammed Salisu.

Kane and Son have been a lethal partnership for the north Londoners in recent years, having combined to score 41 goals since 2015 and currently hold the record for most goal contributions in the Premier League by a pairing (Premier League).

With Dejan Kulusevski putting in a man-of-the-match display, Robinson was pleased to see that his former side did not have a heavy reliance on Kane and Son to deliver the victory.

The ex-goalkeeper told Football Insider: “Neither Kane nor Son were at their best at the weekend. It is a huge positive that the team scored four without them chipping in.”

“Of course, it is not a positive that those two weren’t at their best but it’s good to see that the team is not so reliant on them for goals anymore. They had a quiet day.

“They looked a little bit off it for me. I don’t think they’re up to match pace. Spurs still scored four though.

“From those two, you know what you are going to get. Their figures over the last four seasons are brilliant. They speak for themselves.”

Our view

For many seasons, we have been a team extremely dependent on Son and Kane to deliver the majority the goals and assists and it is refreshing to know that now we have a squad where there are different players who can step up on the rare occasion the duo both have an off day.

If we want to challenge for trophies, we cannot rely on a particular player and with options like Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison in our ranks now, there is no lack of quality.  Antonio Conte has been shrewd to add further depth and quality to his ranks to allow his side to look to compete for silverware on more than one front this season.