Kane Says Spurs’ Slow Starts ‘Unacceptable'

Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane applauds fans on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 30, 2023. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane applauds fans on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 30, 2023. (AFP)
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Kane Says Spurs’ Slow Starts ‘Unacceptable'

Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane applauds fans on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 30, 2023. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane applauds fans on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 30, 2023. (AFP)

Tottenham Hotspur have frequently spoken about the need to tighten up their leaky defense over the last few weeks but striker Harry Kane said it is time to put words into action after they coughed up early goals again on Sunday.

Liverpool were 3-0 up inside 15 minutes at Anfield and while Tottenham pegged the hosts back to 3-3, Diogo Jota's stoppage-time goal earned the Merseyside club a 4-3 victory.

Spurs conceded five in the opening 21 minutes of a 6-1 rout at Newcastle United and fell behind after only seven minutes in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

Kane said their performance in the early stages of Sunday's game showed they had not learned their lesson.

"It's not the first time it's happened this season. We need to start understanding big games better," he told Sky Sports.

"We've shown we can come back into games and to do it here away at Anfield shows what we're capable of but to have the starts we have had are hard to put into words and are unacceptable.

"There's only so many words you can use, the bottom line is you need to go out there and show it isn't that case."

Interim coach Ryan Mason said the players had to be ready from the first whistle.

"If you're not ready to start games with full intensity you're going to concede goals and to be 3-0 down after that time is hard," Mason told the BBC.

"The manner in which we concede the last goal makes it impossible to take. I need to speak to the players on that, we need to address it and do it quickly."



Sinner Does Not Expect Easy Road on Return from Doping Ban

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
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Sinner Does Not Expect Easy Road on Return from Doping Ban

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)

Jannik Sinner held onto his world number one ranking ahead of his return from a three-month doping ban, but the Italian does not expect his comeback to be as smooth when he takes to the court again at the Rome Masters next month.

Sinner has not played since winning the Australian Open at the start of the season and accepted a ban in February following a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had challenged a tribunal's decision to clear him after two positive tests.

The 23-year-old was allowed to return to training on April 13, and his suspension will end on May 4, before his competitive return at the Italian Open, which gets underway three days later.

Sinner, who spent time building fitness mindful of the French Open starting on May 25, was assured of retaining the top ranking for his home tournament after his closest challenger Alexander Zverev crashed to an early defeat in Monte Carlo.

"We're training very hard. Hopefully we'll get some momentum going again ahead of the clay season. It certainly won't be easy for me," Sinner told broadcaster ORF Sudtirol.

"The first games will be really difficult. But hopefully I'll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we'll see how it goes."

Sinner, who trained with Britain's world number six Jack Draper at the Tennis Club de Beaulieu in France recently, said there were plenty of positives from his enforced absence from the tour.

"I think at the beginning of the three months, it was quite nice," Sinner added.

"A bit of time away from all the grind, I spent time with family, with friends. I was doing new things and getting to know myself better, finding out where I stand.

"I think it helped me a lot."