Thierry Henry meets Tottenham striker Harry Kane to discuss the North London derby and more
Monday 1 May 2017 07:26, UK
Ahead of Tottenham's clash with Arsenal live on Sky Sports, Thierry Henry met Harry Kane to discuss the north London derby, winning the Premier League, beating Alan Shearer's scoring record and more.
The England international has had another prolific season in front of goal, netting 20 times in the top flight and remains in the race to retain his Golden Boot crown, currently four strikes behind Everton's Romelu Lukaku.
Kane will be looking to net in his fifth consecutive north London derby in the Premier League when Tottenham host Arsenal live on Nissan Super Sunday, with former Gunners striker Henry catching up with the 23-year-old ahead of the clash...
HENRY: If I mention Arsenal, what does it mean for you? Love?
KANE: [smiling] I don't know if I can say on camera what I really want to say… I feel passion when you mention Arsenal. Not for Arsenal obviously, but a passion among the players, the fans, the clubs. It's just massive.
HENRY: It means a lot to you?
KANE: Yeah it does. I remember my first north London derby. We managed to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane, I scored a couple of goals.
HENRY: I remember, unfortunately.
KANE: [laughs] For me, it was one of the best days in my career and in my life really.
HENRY: If I say think about you and the team in three years, what would you like to have or how do you see that team and yourself going?
KANE: I just want to win. I want to win trophies. I don't think there's a day that goes past where I don't wake up and think 'I want to win something'. I want to win the Premier League, I want to win the Champions League, I want to win the FA Cup and in three years' time, if I haven't won a few trophies by then, I think it will be disappointing. When you walk into the training ground, there has to be a wall saying 'Premier League winners or FA Cup winners or European winners,' that's got to be the next thing.
Live Nissan Super Sunday
HENRY: Which one do you want to win the most, the league?
KANE: I think the Premier League. It's the season, you play 38 games, it's a long season, it's a tough season and to come out with that title would be incredible.
HENRY: Also, I don't need to remind you, it's extra special because it is the last derby at the Lane.
KANE: That's why I think it's going to be incredible. The atmosphere is going to be like no other north London derby because we're unbeaten at home this year and Arsenal would not be the team I want that to end against.
HENRY: What is a good goal for you?
KANE: The bottom corner for me is my favourite. People go mad for top corner goals when they look beautiful and come off the crossbar to go in but I was taught as a kid that low and hard is difficult for a goalkeeper and that's what I try and do. I don't think there have been many goals in my career, especially from the edge of the box that end up going into the top corner and if they do, they are probably miss hit because I'm aiming for the bottom.
HENRY: Against Arsenal you did. I had to mention it, it did hurt…
KANE: This one was more of a bend [both break into laughter]. It's good memories for me.
HENRY: What I like with you is your ability to quickly see what part of your body you need to score a goal. Do you work on anything or is it a natural thing?
KANE: I think it's a natural instinct. I think you have to be five steps ahead of where the picture is now. You see a picture and then you're thinking about what is going to happen when someone passes it there or over there so you have to make some adjustments to a picture that is three steps ahead of what everyone else is seeing.
HENRY: I can tell you that you are going to be, hopefully without getting injured, a great because you think and the way you use your brain. The guy will get the ball and rush it in his mind but you have that pause that all the greats have. Hopefully, it will carry on and I don't want to jinx it.
KANE: I appreciate that. This is what kind of frustrated me when I was going through a spell of not scoring. Of course strikers are always judged on scoring but I feel that I bring a lot more to the game than just goals.
For example, the game against Bournemouth, I heard you and Jamie talking after the game about bringing other players into the game and touches - one touches or two make a big difference - so you've got a picture in your mind where he's going to run or someone else is going to run and when you guys talk about it, it pleases me because that's what I want to hear. I don't just want to be judged on 'oh he scored 20 goals or 25 goals again'. Of course, it is great and what I want to do. Goal scoring is not easy and doing all the other stuff isn't easy either.
HENRY: I am asking you, for Tottenham, can you take free kicks?
KANE: Yeah.
HENRY: Do you think that you can score?
KANE: Yeah.
HENRY: Did you work hard enough to take those free kicks?
KANE: Yeah.
HENRY: So why don't you take them?
KANE: It's true.
HENRY: It's because you are a team player. If you are saying what you are saying right now, what's the big deal? Show people, and I think you can, that you can take free kicks. Then everybody is going to go 'oh OK' and then you can have ten more goals.
KANE: It's true. At the moment, Christian [Eriksen] is a fantastic set-piece taker and we're quite blessed with some good takers here but in the last couple of games, I've been sneaking a few in.
HENRY: It's only fair. If they don't score, you are the man. You have to come and grab the ball. I don't want to compare stuff but before grabbing that ball at Arsenal, I had to move Dennis Bergkamp.
I'm going to go back to the goal you scored against Arsenal, if you can bend that ball into there [points towards the top corner of the goal], it is the same thing and then it is actually the same thing of taking a corner, just take it like a free kick.
So one v one against the goalkeeper, what is in your head…
KANE: It all depends where the goalkeeper is, where he's standing. When I'm going through, I couldn't tell you I'm thinking this or that, I'm mostly looking at the 'keeper.
HENRY: It's interesting what you're saying because I grew up playing at the same time as the Brazilian Ronaldo and he used to love to put the goalkeeper down. That was his thing. Even if he was in the six-yard box, he got the goalkeeper down. Step over, double step over, get the goalkeeper down. I don't know how he used to do it but Raul used to dig it over the goalkeeper. That's why I was asking you.
KANE: I haven't quite found that yet. It's interesting to hear, it's a great point.
HENRY: For me it was because don't get me wrong, nothing is right, it has to be your thing. Since we are here again and I said the other day, that for me, you can go and get the record of Alan Shearer. Do you think that you can?
KANE: I think I can. Obviously it's easy to say that now but I think a lot can happen between now and then.
HENRY: But it is good to say it now because then you can say 'I said it'.
KANE: Yeah of course, and I think I can. I think I'm on about 69 goals now, I need another 190 odd or so but I back myself always. I never back down from a challenge so I have full belief in myself and my ability and it's a target that hopefully I can reach.
Catch the full interview on Nissan Super Sunday ahead of the North London derby from 1pm live on Sky Sports 1.
