Sean Dyche defends Harry Kane’s display after Tottenham lose Champions League final to Liverpool

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Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final on Saturday evening.

Sean Dyche has stated that it’s ‘unfair’ to suggest that Virgil van Dijk had Tottenham’s Harry Kane in his pocket during Liverpool’s Champions League triumph on Saturday.

Before the game, a lot was made as to whether Kane, who had been out of action since Spurs’ Champions League quarter-final clash against Manchester City, would start the final showdown in Madrid.

After two weeks of training, Mauricio Pochettino opted to select Kane from the get-go, but Tottenham’s main man struggled to produce his best form on the night.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live (01/06/2019 at 10:10 pm), Burnley manager Dyche defended Kane, who had a tough time against Van Dijk.

On whether Van Dijk had Kane in his pocket: “I think it’s unfair, I really do,” Dyche told BBC Radio 5 Live. “You are asking a lot of Harry Kane. I changed my opinion [on Kane starting] because he had two full weeks training.

“It’s very difficult. Centre-forwards it’s a different thing. You want to go out there sharp and on top of your game. That’s very difficult to find, even when someone as professional and as fit as Harry Kane is playing.

“I think it’s a big question to ask of him tonight to go out there and deliver. It still could have happened because he has amazing quality, movement and cleverness.

“But still a lot to ask against an absolute Rolls-Royce of a centre-half [in Van Dijk]. Personally, the world’s best at this current moment in time.”

Lucas Moura, who scored a hat-trick against Ajax in the semi-final, was the player who had to miss out as he was brought on as a second-half substitute.

Pochettino wasn’t the only one who had to make a big decision before the game. Jurgen Klopp opted to start Roberto Firmino ahead of semi-final hero Divock Origi despite the Brazilian not playing much beforehand.

Both Kane and Firmino struggled to prove their worth on the night, with the latter coming off in the second half for Origi, who went on to score the second goal of the game.