The money’s on United to rock Old Trafford

The English Premier League season starts today with a number of mouth-watering clashes. TODAY EPL analyst Adrian Clarke (sports@mediacorp .com.sg) thinks Harry Kane’s goal-scoring exploits last season are unlikely to lead Spurs to victory over Manchester United, while how Liverpool responds to their away trip to Stoke will be a sign of their character this season.

Chinese whispers went into overdrive this week. Less than 24 hours after Harry Kane’s entirely plausible exclusion from a Spurs XI to face AC Milan, he was the subject of a rumour of a mammoth bid that had him sold for £50 million (S$107 million), holed up in a north-west hotel, and certain to line up at Old Trafford in the red of Manchester United this evening.

It would have been a magnificent story — had it been true.

Kane may yet make the move, of course. When the Red Devils come knocking at a footballer’s door, very few hide behind the sofa praying they go away.

And as honourably as the 22-year-old Tottenham striker has behaved amid this summer’s feverish speculation, a part of him must be a teeny-bit tempted to trot out at the Theatre of Dreams.

If he genuinely tops Louis van Gaal’s wish list, that is some compliment, and chances like that don’t come around too often. Ask Alan Shearer. Rejecting Alex Ferguson cost him two cupboards’ worth of winner’s medals.

For now, though, Kane remains a Spurs player, and he will be Mauricio Pochettino’s great white hope of starting the season with a win on United territory.

If Tottenham can get the ball to him in good areas, Kane will worry a home back-four that doesn’t have a title-chasing look to it at this stage.

Reports suggest Phil Jones and Daley Blind may start in central defence, and the Spurs striker definitely has the power to unnerve both with forceful runs down the sides of the box.

Some say last year’s dreamy 31-goal campaign was a freakish one-off from Kane, but I do not buy into the theory that he will crumble under the pressure of expectation, or be “found out” in his second season.

The youngster’s temperament and technique tell me something very different. Even if this is not his day to shine, plenty more net bulging will follow.

Having won there twice in the past three seasons, Tottenham are not exactly stepping into the unknown. But it has also been less than five months since they were comprehensively outplayed by United, losing 3-0 on the same ground.

It was a rotten afternoon, and one that summed up Spurs’ frailties on the road last term.

Away from White Hart Lane they beat just one of the sides that finished inside the Premier League’s top 10 (Swansea City), and against their top six “rivals” Tottenham shipped 14 goals in five matches, earning a solitary point.

On reflection, they tried too hard to impose their attacking style in those matches. It was an admirable idea, but Pochettino’s game plans needed more caution. When possession was lost, Spurs were not compact, they were wide open.

I felt sorry for the rookie midfield pairing of Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb. Crying out for support from the attacking midfielders around them, they were left to fend for themselves. In the most challenging away games, they were swamped and over-ran.

Tottenham’s questionable defence required first-class protection, but it was left painfully exposed.

In 2015-16 — and certainly in this contest — Pochettino must come up with a formula that makes his side harder to break down. If he does not, top-four aspirations will look fanciful and he will lose this opener.

One positive is the arrival of £11.5 million Toby Alderweireld, a player I greatly admire. He is unfussy and not the kind of centre-back that catches the eye instantly, but the Belgian makes very few mistakes, and that is the first attribute I would look for in a defender.

His reunion with compatriot Jan Vertonghen (they won two titles together with Ajax Amsterdam) is also interesting — and great news for the thousands of Spurs fans that suffered palpitations every time Younes Kaboul, Vlad Chiriches and Federico Fazio were in charge of keeping clean sheets.

The pair has balance and chemistry. Once they find their feet, and providing they both stay fit, Tottenham’s goals-against column — as well as their supporters’ blood pressure — should look healthier.

It is a big ask to get something out of this opener though.

Buoyed by the club’s big spending, the mood inside Old Trafford tonight will be as confident as it has been since the start of Ferguson’s final season. Should they score first, the place will be rocking.

Morgan Schneiderlin or Bastian Schweinsteiger will sit in midfield next to Michael Carrick, and as a unit, they have the tools to comfortably shut down Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela or Nacer Chadli’s creative influence. As long as they do their jobs properly and nullify that trio, Kane’s magic or a set-piece will be Spurs’ principal hope.

Going forward, United excites me. Juan Mata and Ashley Young are bullish and back in the manager’s good books, while the sharp movements of Memphis Depay and Wayne Rooney have provided plenty of encouragement during pre-season. Always looking to find one another, they have struck up an instant and dangerous rapport.

Both are full of swagger and eager to make an impression, so an opening day full house on home turf feels like the ideal place for them to cut loose and enjoy themselves at Spurs’ expense.

Kane may shine. He is top-class and easily good enough to make an impression. Yet I still have a hunch that tonight will belong to those already in possession of a United shirt.

About the author:

TODAY EPL analyst Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for many publications around the world.

TV Times:

Today:

Man United v Spurs (Mio TV Ch102 and StarHub Ch 227; 7.45pm)

Bournemouth v Aston Villa (Ch102 and Ch227; 10pm)

Everton v Watford (Ch103 and Ch228, 9.55pm)

Leicester City v Sunderland (Ch104 and Ch229, 9.55pm)

Norwich v Crystal Palace (Ch105 and Ch230, 9.55pm)

Tomorrow:

Chelsea v Swansea (Ch102 and Ch227, 12.30am)

Arsenal v West Ham (Ch102 and Ch227, 8.30pm)

Newcastle v Southampton (Ch103 and Ch228, 8.30pm)

Stoke v Liverpool (Ch102 and CH227, 11pm)