Mauricio Pochettino Must Build Around Harry Kane to Ensure Tottenham Success

Mauricio Pochettino's transfer wishlist this summer will be heavily influenced, or even outright decided, by how he wishes to utilise Harry Kane atop his formation.

The 30-goal English striker holds the key to who his manager brings in between June and August, as no player that cannot interact with him on the pitch should even be considered by the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy.

It's a transfer philosophy other clubs use too—Liverpool, for example, would be wise to disregard any potential purchase who cannot link with star man Philippe Coutinho—and director of football Franco Baldini must be sympathetic to the need when mulling over recruits.

The quickest way for Spurs to avoid another St. Totteringham's Day and go on to breach the Premier League top four would be to tailor their side to suit Kane, but how exactly that is achieved is an extremely difficult question to answer.

It's understandable, but it's also very clear Tottenham currently have no definitive plan as to how they should service Kane. Does he want in the air to challenge for with his head, in to his feet to control and distribute, or in behind for him to chase? Over the past six weeks or so, we've seen varying degrees of all these strategies, but an ever-changing and shapeless midfield has hindered any real progress.

Take Burnley away as an example. The weird diamond-esque midfield from Pochettino was downright awful in its planning and execution, and Kane looked at a loss as to how to move, motion to receive or where to run. The Clarets were well drilled defensively that day, but Spurs were a mess.

Credit: Canal+

Against both Manchester City this weekend and against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final, he was entirely crowded out in the centre as both opponents packed the middle to put bodies around him. Six months of seeing Kane is enough to know he is not a classic poacher, he loves to drop in to midfield, and clogging that area can stop him from playing the game he wants to play.

He's still a penalty-box presence, but his all-round game allows him to be so much more—and Spurs should endeavour to complete the puzzle around him in order to allow him to shine.

Perhaps ironically, Kane's tendencies and skill set—good touch, control and physicality blended with an ability to drop in, link, but also shoot—are a little reminiscent of Rickie Lambert at Southampton, who thrived under Pochettino's charge before he moved to north London. The two have had very contrasting seasons, but stylistically, they're oddly similar.

Pochettino's Saints setup was typically 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, with Adam Lallana a wide/No. 10 space creator (like Christian Eriksen) and Jay Rodriguez as a wide forward breaching in behind the defence, playing off Lambert's flicks and lay-offs. It had a nice variation to it, and all three were fancied for big moves until Rodriguez cruelly tore his ACL a few weeks before the end of the season.

@stighefootball / Poch's Saints

This setup can be replicated in north London and Pochettino has tried, but runners from the advanced midfield three going beyond Kane have been a bit of a rarity. Whether that's late-season tiredness after the accumulation of games and the wear and tear following a half-season of pressing is unclear, but in the summer, Spurs get to hit the reset button and recalibrate how they attack.

Kane should be used as a centre-forward who drops in, and Pochettino needs to find players who can commit to running beyond and linking with the striker. It will form a near-6-4 formation at times, with two holders (Nabil Bentaleb plus one) solidifying and the front four moving, swapping and running beyond each other.

Erik Lamela should be ideally suited to this. Back at Roma, when he looked on the verge of stardom, his tape showed remarkable intuition and instincts when darting beyond Francesco Totti and Dani Osvaldo, coming in off the right flank and scoring goals. He appears to understand this role far better than Andros Townsend, and Nacer Chadli, while stylistically a good fit, doesn't quite appear to be good enough.

@stighefootball / Poch's Possible Spurs

That's why Rodriguez, if fit again, will be an attractive option for Pochettino. Eriksen's best football has come from the left, though, and Spurs could advance with Eriksen (LW), Lamela (RW) and a new No. 10 instead. The No. 10 would need to be a second striker, able to run beyond and fill the space Kane leaves when he drops deep; he needs to be in the mould of a Stevan Jovetic-type, and if Danny Ings is going free, he feels like an ideal place to start. It's a bit like wishing what Michu and Wilfried Bony could have been for Swansea City.

Whatever the solution Pochettino chooses, the requirements are clear: Build around Kane and let him play his own game. Spurs need runners from the second line so Kane can pick them out with his passing, and so that teams fear the direct game more, allowing the striker more space rather than focusing their energies on him.

The good news? Pochettino has constructed an extremely similar setup before, and to good effect. Kane was parachuted in on a rescue mission this season after the Argentinian, seemingly, had built around flop Roberto Soldado.

Now Spurs have a legitimate forward proven to be capable of leading the line, the work begins (again) with the added feeling of assurance that they have the right man.

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