Pochettino reveals he has made decision on Kane role in Champions League final
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he has made his decision on whether he will start Harry Kane in the Champions League final.
The north London club face Premier League rivals Liverpool in Madrid on Saturday night, looking to become just the second team from England’s capital to win the Champions League.
Will Pochettino start Kane? Five key things to know…
- Tottenham play Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday evening.
- Striker Kane has been out of action since mid-April with a knee injury.
- The Englishman has declared himself fit for the final, having returned to training.
- And Pochettino has admitted he has made his decision on whether he will start Kane.
- But the Spurs boss has refused to reveal the decision, keeping it to himself until the starting XIs are announce an hour before kick-off.
In the build up to the final, the biggest question for Tottenham is whether Harry Kane would return to the starting line up.
The England captain has been out since mid-April with a knee injury, but has declared himself fit for the Champions League final – and next week’s Nations League finals fixtures.
When asked by reporters in his pre-match press conference, Pochettino revealed he had made his decision on whether Kane would start on Saturday – though refused to share it.
But Pochettino did go on to admit the difficulty of making such a decision, adding: “It’s normal you are asking me, it’s difficult for you to be in my place or different coaches, it’s normal, it’s not easy.
“Making a decision will not be easy, the last games we played, the quarters and semis, the last 16, every game you need to take a decision.
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“Tomorrow is another decision, for sure we have all the information, every single detail, we take the best decision to win. Like always it’s painful in football you can only use 11 players it’s the most painful situation.
“From the first moment [of a career] when you play with seven, then go to 11, you know your team-mates who are in the training may not play.
“For me, respect must be massive for the players who are selected and we want to show that. Tough decisions are painful but it’s part of my job to pick the starting XI and to try to win the game.”
Kane “ready” to go for any game
While Pochettino is keeping his team selection close to his chest, in the build up to the Champions League final, Kane declared himself fit to start.
“I feel good,” he said. “I started to feel my way back with the team at the end of last week and there have been no problems so far.
“For me this week now is to get the fitness as high as possible.
“Then it’s down to the manager. Like I said, I feel good. The manager will assess it and decide whether I’m ready to go or not. But so far, I feel good and ready.
“I did a lot of work on my own to get me into a good place to go back with the team. Since I’ve been with them, I’ve been full training, doing everything.
“I’m at a place now where I’m ready to go for any game but again, it’s down to the manager.”
