London (Reuters)
Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte said he had no doubts about Harry Kane overcoming his World Cup disappointment with the English Premier League resuming.
Kane equaled Wayne Rooney’s all-time record for England’s top scorer when he netted a penalty against France, but missed another near the end as England lost 2-1.
And Kane returned to his hobby when he put the ball into the goal with a wonderful header in the 65th minute, before Tottenham equalized 2-2 with Brentford.
Conte told reporters: “Personally, I have no doubts about Harry, his competence, his mentality and the way he deals with every match and training. Certainly, for Harry, he is in a strange situation because he did really well in the World Cup. England reached the last eight and then he missed a crucial penalty. But you know very well that it is football.
He added, “You can go through positive or negative moments. If you’re mentally strong, if you’re a top player, there comes a moment when you have to get over a negative situation and move on. I think Harry did.’
Brentford fans had taunted Keane with chants of “you failed your country”, but Conte said the fans should support the players instead.
Kane took his tally to 13 goals in all competitions this season, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s goal ensured Tottenham’s equalizer after trailing 2-0 by the 54th minute.
It was the sixth consecutive game that fourth-placed Spurs had conceded first, but it was the reaction of the team in the second half that impressed Conte.
“On the one hand, I have to be happy with the reaction and the way we played in the second half,” the Italian coach said. Not just the way we scored the two goals, but the energy and the desire. When you play like this you will definitely cause a lot of problems for your opponents.
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