Trippier: Harry Kane “went mental” on Spurs in halftime talk

We don’t know what was said at halftime of yesterday’s Champions League semifinal between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax, but we know who said it. Speaking to Sky Sports about Spurs’ historic 3-2 comeback win in Amsterdam, Spurs’ Kieran Trippier said that the club’s injured talisman and vice captain Harry Kane came to the locker room at halftime with the team down 2-0 to Ajax... and apparently gave the whole team the hairdryer treatment.

“Harry is exceptional for club and country. I don’t know the time scale with his injury but obviously we’re all hopeful he can be back because his presence, even here…

“At halftime he came in going mental on us because we can do better, which we all knew! This is what we need, the leadership that he has. The way he came in at halftime, he wasn’t happy and we all knew that.

“He just gives us that extra lift. His presence is massive for us.”

I desperately want to know what Harry said to the team in that changing room. I doubt we’ll ever really know. If there’s video of the incident it hasn’t surfaced and probably never will. The one thing we do know is that he definitely wasn’t buzzing at that moment in time, except with anger.

We very rarely see Kane really upset, but this little anecdote shows the passion he has for football and his teammates, and also the leadership qualities that he exhibits off the field, even when he’s coming back from injury.

Whatever it was that he said, it must have resonated with the squad because they came out with one tactical change and a whole basketful of attitude adjustment. Lucas Moura was obviously listening closely!

Harry Kane, he’s one of our own.