Kane vs Vardy: Who is better when it comes to scoring?

An Englishman has not won the English Premier League’s coveted Golden Boot since Kevin Phillips smashed 30 goals in 1999-2000, but with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy currently leading the way it looks as if that barren run will end this year. Which of the two is the better striker? We asked our resident EPL analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) to lay his cards on the table ...

WORK ETHIC

The way Tottenham and Leicester go about their business, it is imperative their strikers do not dawdle around scratching their backsides, waiting for a chance to drop their way — and neither man is a shirker.

Kane is not afraid to graft and get his hands dirty, and he tends to cover a bit more ground than his Foxes counterpart, pressing defenders and dropping into spaces to intercept.

Vardy is the more explosive of the two. He will stand still for longer periods, but when his team-mates need him to get in the face of an opponent, he will do it passionately.

KANE 8.5 VARDY 8

KEEPING POSSESSION

Leicester’s record-breaking front-man turns over possession quite magnificently. Vardy usually wins his tackles, boasting a seasonal record of tackles won 30, tackles lost 1, which is just remarkable. In terms of looking after the ball, he sometimes struggles to hold it up, but much of that is down to longer passes being aimed at him.

Kane is solid but unspectacular at retaining possession. His pass accuracy exceeds Vardy’s, and he links play nicely, but he does not have to control as many high balls fired towards his head and chest.

KANE 7 VARDY 7

CREATIVITY

Claudio Ranieri does not have many inventive players waiting in the wings, so he is reliant on his forwards to supply goals and score them. It is something 29-year-old Vardy is pretty good at, too. Using his speed to pull defenders out of position, Vardy creates plenty of chances, and has laid on six assists.

Kane is capable of dropping his shoulder to beat his man, but is more of a poacher. He has created 37 chances for Spurs this season (just five short of Vardy) but only one of those opportunities has led to a goal. In and around the box, his primary thought is to shoot, not tee up somebody else.

KANE 7 VARDY 7.5

PACE

We know who the winner is here, but Kane is no slouch. Recent goals against Aston Villa and Bournemouth outlined his ability to run in behind defenders. Over 10 yards, he is deceptively quick.

Vardy is the main man, though, when it comes to pace. Frighteningly fast, he has earned six penalties with blistering bursts into the box, as well as a hatful of goals.

KANE 8.5 VARDY 9.5

MOVEMENT

The quality of Kane’s movement is at a higher level. As he is not blessed with as much raw speed, he needs to produce more intelligent runs to get ahead of his markers, and he has the potential to become as brilliant at it as Michael Owen and Alan Shearer. Tottenham’s top scorer has had 21 more efforts on goal than Vardy this season, and much of that is down to the inventiveness of his movement.

Vardy is instinctive. Razor-sharp and quick to spot gaps, his runs have been brilliant all season, but it is often speed rather than cleverness that gets him on the end of passes.

KANE 9.5 VARDY 8

FINISHING

Kane will hit the target more often than his England team-mate (64 per cent to 57 per cent) but it is Vardy who leads the way in the chance-conversion stakes. He has slotted home 24 per cent of his efforts in 2015-16, compared with 21 per cent from Kane. This season he has made a lot of tricky finishes look incredibly easy. What makes both strikers so hard to stop is their ability to tuck home any kind of strike. Both are primarily right-footed, but have still managed to notch multiple times with their so-called weaker left. They can beat keepers from long range, gobble up tap-ins, and score with headers too.

KANE 9 VARDY 9

VERDICT

A fully-fit Sergio Aguero is the Premier League’s finest front man, and Romelu Lukaku is improving fast, but based on what they have produced in 2015-16, Kane and Vardy deserve to be battling it out for the Golden Boot.

It is a tough call, but as an all-round striker, Harry Kane just about edges it in my opinion. There is a fraction more variety to his game. If England boss Roy Hodgson has to choose between the two at Euro 2016 this summer, I suspect he will see it the same way.

KANE 49.5 VARDY 49

ADRIAN CLARKE’S BIG-MATCH PREDICTIONS

Arsenal v Watford

The Gunners produced too little too late, when Watford knocked them out of the FA Cup three weeks ago. Failure to concentrate hard enough on stopping Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo left them climbing a mountain, and a series of slow, centralised attacks played right into the hands of Quique Flores’ well-prepared side. If Arsene Wenger’s men perform with the tactics and tempo they showed against Everton last time out, revenge will be theirs.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Watford 0

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur

Wwhich Liverpool will decide to turn up? If it’s the high-octane, slick and cohesive XI that outplayed City and United at Anfield, Juergen Klopp’s red juggernaut will be mighty hard to stop. If they dip below those standards and get sloppy, Mauricio Pochettino’s fast-developing side have the organisation, quality and in-form players to take one step closer to the Premier League crown. It was 0-0 the last time these two met; on this occasion I see goals.

Prediction: Liverpool 3 Tottenham 2

Leicester City v Southampton

Picking holes in the leaders’ resolute defence isn’t easy, as four 1-0 wins in five outings suggests, but I believe the Saints possess weaponry that will worry Claudio Ranieri. They are powerful at set-pieces - one of the Foxes’ weak spots - and in Shane Long and Sadio Mane, they have two forwards with the pace to cause damage on the counter. Should Southampton get in Leicester’s grill and play with an aggressive intent that knocks them out of rhythm, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shock.

Prediction: Leicester 0 Southampton 2

Manchester United v Everton

Everton played like limp, lost souls against Arsenal, and if his players fail to respond positively, I’d begin to fear for the future of Roberto Martinez. There have been too many no-shows, too many hard-luck stories from a side talented enough to be in the top six. But perked up by a deserved success in the Manchester derby, I envisage United grinding out the win they need to keep hopes of a top-four finish alive. Only the FA Cup can rescue Everton now.

Prediction: Manchester United 1 Everton 0

TV TIMES

Today:

Aston Villa v Chelsea (Singtel Ch102 and StarHub Ch 227; 7.45pm)

Arsenal v Watford (Ch102 and Ch227; 10pm)

Bournemouth v Man City (Ch103 and Ch228; 10pm)

West Ham v Crystal Palace (Ch104 and Ch229; 10pm)

Norwich v Newcastle (Ch105 and Ch230; 10pm)

Stoke v Swansea (Ch106 and Ch231; 10pm)

Sunderland v West Brom (Ch107 and Ch232; 10pm)

Tomorrow:

Liverpool v Tottenham (Ch102 and Ch227; 12.30am)

Leicester v Southampton (Ch102 and Ch227; 8.30pm)

Man Utd v Everton (Ch102 and Ch227; 11pm)

About the author:

Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of the English game. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for several sports websites and publications. Follow him @adrianjclarke