Over the course of the last few Tottenham Hotspur games, aside from the excellent forward play between Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, the latter has been under the microscope for the way in which he’s inviting challenges.
Waiting for the opposition marker to come in to challenge him for the ball, Kane has made a habit of backing into the player whilst in mid-air, sending them tumbling to the ground.
The Sun noted former player Kevin Ratcliffe’s disgust at how the striker could end up seriously injuring someone, however, Kane has found support from Crystal Palace defender, Gary Cahill.
“I think that’s just part of football,” he said on Sky Sports, cited by The Sun.
“I think an element of that is being clever and experienced and knowing when you can maybe draw a foul in.
“I’ve seen it numerous times when I was with England and training with Harry, that he just uses his body well.
“I think (Heung-Min) Son does the same – they use their body very well.
“They put their body in between the ball and yourself and any sort of contact, they know that potentially there could be fouls and in and around the box is dangerous.
“I study the opposition but I would say also you know the opposition, with players like that, you’ve seen them year after year so you know their strengths and it’s just how best you can deal with them on the day.”
When all is said and done, any number of footballers across the Premier League will look to employ the darker arts if their team are able to gain an advantage from the same.
The officials are yet to take Kane to task for his actions too, which tells us much.