Harry Kane insists he will not allow himself to ease up to ensure he stays fit for the World Cup.
Kane admitted he would have felt a “real sting” had Tottenham been consigned to the Europa League before he flies off to Qatar with the England squad on November 15. But Three Lions captain Kane says that should serve as a warning and no big player will even think about easing up to ensure they get to the World Cup in peak condition.
Tottenham face Liverpool on Sunday as they look to get back in the title race, while they must also play Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and Leeds in the Premier League. There have been fears that the last few games before the World Cup would see players trying to save themselves for the tournament, but Kane says that has never entered his thinking.
The Tottenham striker declared: “I said it before, you try not to think about it. I said the World Cup was going to come round really quickly, and it's come round really quickly. We're in November already and in a couple of weeks we'll be on the plane and playing the first game in no time.
“I think a lot of players have got it in the backs of their minds but I think the top top players manage to give 110 per cent no matter what. The more you try to think about managing yourself, it sometimes backfires. So me, personally, I'm just trying to focus on the next three games.
“Of course, it's hard not to think about it but if we can have three good results it will put us in a really good place going into the World Cup.”
Kane led Tottenham into the knock-out stages of the Champions League after surviving a major scare and fireworks in Marseille. The French club's hardcore fans let off two sets of fireworks outside Spurs’ hotel in the early hours to upset the visitors' preparations the night before the game, but the dirty tricks did not work.
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And Kane insisted it was vital for him personally and also other Tottenham players that they did not go to Qatar in a fortnight’s time with a huge sense of disappointment. He added: “It was really important just before the World Cup. If we'd have gone out, it would have been a real sting because you know you're coming back from the World Cup and playing Europa League and it's just not the same feeling. So that was really vital.
“We've got three games before the World Cup and hopefully we can use tonight to finish strongly and if we can be there or thereabouts in the Premier League and get through in the Carabao Cup, it'll be a really good start to the season.”
Tottenham booked their place as group winners as they went from being relegated to the Europa League, then into second place with a draw and claimed top spot after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won it with the last kick of the game. That could give Tottenham a big advantage as they could get the likes of Club Brugge, Inter Milan or AC Milan rather than one of the red-hot favourites for the Champions League.
They had to come through a big test in Marseille, with Antonio Conte banished to the stands because of his one-game touchline ban and also the fireworks the night before the game. Kane said: “We expected it, we were told the fireworks might happen. I woke up on the first lot but the second lot I was fast asleep thankfully. Their fans were incredible, we knew the atmosphere would be special and that was with one of the stands closed as well.
“Credit to them, they're doing everything to make sure their team wins. So proud of the boys, coming to a really tough place, the atmosphere was really hostile and we had to find something amongst ourselves, players and staff, and we managed to do that. We showed great desire in the second half, great mentality. It's kind of been the story of our season so far, we've been more of a second half team.
“There were a few words said by a few people at half-time, that we had to be more aggressive, have more intensity and I think we came out in the second half and did that. We got the goal at a good time and, after that, we had a few chances to put the game to bed. They had a couple as well but to see that go in at the end there was icing on the cake, and a really important goal to finish top.”
