HARRY KANE is not 15 times worse than Mo Salah.
Yet the two most prolific strikers in the Premier League head into Sunday’s clash between Tottenham and Liverpool with their form at complete odds with each other.
On that front at least, the stats do not lie.
Kane and Salah have either won or shared the Golden Boot in five of the last six top-flight seasons.
While Reds ace Salah is enjoying the best form of his career and has scored 15 league goals already this campaign, Kane, is suffering a real stinker, with just one Prem strike for Spurs.
Yet Tottenham boss Antonio Conte hopes this massive occasion could maybe be the turning point. He said: “Harry is a world-class striker. Every day that I train him, I understand very well that he’s a world-class striker.
“He’s one of the best I’ve had the pleasure to train. He’s amazing. For sure, Jurgen likes to have Mo Salah. But I like to have Harry in my team.
“He’s an important player for us and my expectations are very high that he plays well in an important game against Liverpool.”
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Kane’s solitary league strike — against Newcastle in a 3-2 win back in October — is proof that the England captain is struggling.
Conte admitted: “If you compare what he did in the past, this is very strange. But also in the past, in my experience, before as a player and then as a coach, it happens.
“I played with important strikers who, for a long period, didn’t score. But my judgement about them didn’t change.
“I wanted to have them in my team also if they don’t score. Because if you have Harry Kane in your team, you feel stronger, for sure.”
As for former Roma striker Salah, the Italian coach said: “I think he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s a very decisive player.
“During games, he’s a danger every time he has the ball.
“He has improved a lot. I remember him when he played in Italy. Now he’s improved in an incredible way.”
Something has to give on Sunday. Liverpool’s attacking form has been extraordinary but equally, since Conte arrived, Spurs have improved defensively.
In his four League games in the hot seat at the club, Tottenham have conceded just once.
Conte said: “We’ll face difficulties and we have to know that during the game there are moments we must be ready to suffer.
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“At the same time we have prepared the game to try, when we have the ball, to create problems for Liverpool.”
The key is how Spurs bounce back after having those three games — against Rennes, Brighton and Leicester — postponed this month.
Conte added: “The morale was very, very down, also because we prepared and had training sessions to play games. But now, we are ready to play.”
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