I would be ‘crazy’ to rest Harry Kane despite Liverpool struggles, insists Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

The Spurs boss believes his team's failings go beyond their star striker and are not down to fatigue

Mauricio Pochettino insists he would be “crazy” to rest Harry Kane as Tottenham prepare to kick off their Champions League campaign against Internazionale on Tuesday.

Kane was unable to find his top gear as Spurs were punished for a below-par performance with a 2-1 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s impressive Liverpool side at Wembley on Saturday, registering just one shot on target and fewer touches of the ball (22) than any other starter.

The anonymous nature of his performance reinforced the belief of some that Kane has not fully recovered from his World Cup exertions with England, but after the match both he and Pochettino dismissed the idea that fatigue is the cause of Tottenham’s recent struggles.

Asked if Kane will start against Inter, Pochettino said: “I think we would be crazy to think different. Yes. I don’t know what you expect from me, or what you think my answer should be.

“He’s one of the best strikers in the world. I don’t care that he wasn’t great [on Saturday]. He’s going to score goals and he’s going to perform in the way we want and we expect. No problem.

“I don’t believe that [fatigue is the issue]. I only believe the situation of the team is more collective than that.

“If you say it’s only Harry, I don’t like it when people point the finger at some players. It’s always collective and we need to help him, to give the ball in a better position for him to be more clear. But it’s a collective thing, not just Harry.

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“It’s not a problem. Of course there is a challenge with nine players involved until the end of the World Cup, but I’m not going to complain.

“We provided them with a good rest, 21 days, and they started a few days before the competition started at Newcastle United. We knew that it was a massive challenge for us.

“When you win, you win. When you lose, yes of course you need to talk about different things, but I’m not worried. We are going to win a lot of games. We have trust in the squad. Of course we need to improve, but we’re in a very good way.”

After the match Pochettino attributed Liverpool’s victory to Tottenham’s lack of quality in possession, and Kane echoed his manager’s sentiments.

“People are always going to look for stuff, especially when you are a big part of the team and someone who is there to get the goals,” he said. “As a team, we can all do better and as the striker you get spoken about more, but I feel sharp and fit and, if I wasn’t, the manager would not be picking me.

“He believes in me, I believe in myself and hopefully I can score a couple of goals on Tuesday and it will be put to bed.

“Energy wise there was no fatigue, but it was not good enough with the ball. We will bounce back – through the season we are one of the fittest squads and we will continue to be this year.”