Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says he has no concerns over Harry Kane’s state of mind after his crucial penalty miss in England’s World Cup exit against France.
Three Lions captain Kane had a chance to equalise from the spot and potentially force extra time in the two sides’ quarter-final meeting in Qatar, but having already beaten club team-mate Hugo Lloris from 12 yards once in the game, blasted his second penalty well over the bar.
Eventual runners-up France went on to win 2-1 and Kane afterwards claimed full responsibility for the defeat.
The 29-year-old is set for a swift return to action when the Premier League season restarts with Spurs’ Boxing Day trip to Brentford, and Conte insists he is not worried about a potential hangover.
“No, because we are talking about a world-class striker,” Conte said. “Football is like this: in football you can have exciting moments and also moments when you are disappointed because you miss the second penalty - the first he scored.
“Me, when I was a player, I never missed a penalty because I didn’t take one! Never! But on penalties, I lost a World Cup against Brazil [with Italy, in 1994]. You live these moments and you are really disappointed and, for sure, at first you’re sad but then you know you have to move on.
“Football gives you the opportunity to have other chances and enjoy football. Don’t forget, we do this job and we are really happy. Honestly, I’m not worried about [Kane]. I saw him [looking] very well in these two days with us.”
Lloris has also returned from his World Cup exploits but is set to start on the bench against Brentford. Like Kane, the Spurs skipper is ultimately dealing with disappointment, having been on the wrong end of Sunday’s epic final against Argentina.
Victory for France would have seen Lloris become the first captain to lift the World Cup twice but Conte urged his goalkeeper to see the positives after producing a fine run of individual performances en route to the final.
“On one side, for sure, you can be disappointed but in the other side, for the second time in a row, France reached the final of the World Cup,” Conte said.
“It’s a big, big achievement because these tournaments are really difficult. For sure, for him it was a great chance to win it twice and to do something extraordinary in your career but at the same time, Hugo also showed in this World Cup that he’s a fantastic goalkeeper.
“When you play the final, you want to win but everybody has won and lost finals. If I have to tell you how many finals I lost, we’ll be here for an hour.”
Spurs will have one world champion in their ranks once Argentine defender Cristian Romero returns to the club in time for the New Year’s Day meeting with Aston Villa.
“On one side, we are disappointed for Hugo but we’re happy for Romero because for him it was the first time to become world champion,” Conte added.
