Is it possible that Harry Kane might feel a slight pang of regret at not being part of this thrill-a-minute Tottenham Hotspur team?
If Kane was watching this latest ‘Ange-ball’ special en route to Bayern Munich’s game at Borussia Monchengladbach, he might reasonably wonder where all this has been for the past couple of years.
Ange Postecoglou spoke last week about how he loves the ‘theatre’ of what he is trying to create at Spurs and here was another stellar performance.
Defenders lashing into the top corner from 25 yards, James Maddison casting spells from midfield and Son Heung-min running riot with a brilliant hat-trick.
Little wonder the travelling fans in Lancashire sung ‘we’ve got our Tottenham back’ as memories of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte recede.
Son Heung-Min netted a hat-trick as Spurs hit Burnley for five in comfortable win at Turf Moor
Summer signing James Maddison was on the scoresheet for the second game running
Cristian Romero put Spurs into the lead in first half injury time in Tottenham’s 5-2 victory
Postecoglou has given everyone licence to express themselves. We know Son is a potent threat but when Manor Solomon comes into the side and looks right at home, and especially when Cristian Romero is scoring screamers, you see the difference.
And this was with Richarlison merely a late substitute and £47.5million deadline day signing Brennan Johnson to throw into the mix.
Read as much or as little as you like into a heavy win over Burnley but the evidence grows by the week that Spurs have their mojo back.
Vincent Kompany could only take the beating. The Premier League is truly harsh.
Kompany spoke in his programme notes of Burnley taking ‘the biggest jump in world football’ from the Championship. Yes it is, even if you’ve spent almost £100m.
They actually took an early lead here through Lyle Foster but Spurs were as dominant as the scoreline suggests. Burnley remain pointless and it won’t get any easier.
Having tasted defeat for the first time in the job at Fulham in the Carabao Cup, Postecoglou shuffled his deck with Richarlison dropping to the bench after four consecutive starts and Manor Solomon given a chance to impress in league action.
But the visitors were stunned only four minutes in. Burnley worked their way out of trouble on the right side, working the ball to Connor Roberts, whose slide-rule pass sprung Luca Koleosho down the left channel.
The teenager was able to beat Pedro Porro in the physical battle, the defender knowing he couldn’t bring him down, and cut back for Foster to side-footed home his second of the season.
Spurs belatedly woke up, with Maddison bursting into Burnley’s box and feeling he was blocked off. It required a vital block by Sander Berge to thwart Solomon’s shot.
But the equaliser wouldn’t be too long in arriving and it was another touch of class from Son.
Porro played a long ball forward from right-back than Son half-controlled but succeeded in spinning it away from Dara O’Shea and into the right direction to feed Solomon.
O’Shea foolishly stepped off Son to follow Ameen Al Dakhil towards Solomon and then ball, allowing the South Korean to slip behind him, receive the ball back and dink it sublimely over keeper James Trafford.
Ange Postecoglou congratulates his captain after his treble secured the win at Turf Moor
Spurs new double act of James Maddison and Son Heung-Min enjoyed their day at Burnley
Lyle Foster had opened the scoring for Burnley but things went downhill from there
Burnley were snappy, however, and continued to trouble Tottenham. Zeki Amdouni, who netted their late winner in the cup against Nottingham Forest in the week, whipped a 25-yard shot narrowly wide.
Sometimes Spurs were trying to be too intricate in their build-up but usually they’d carve out an opening. Maddison saw a shot blocked by Al Dakhil and then saw a curling effort pushed away by Trafford after a smart one-two with Pape Matar Sarr.
Pulling the strings as he does so well, it really was little surprise Maddison was heavily involved in the stoppage time stunner by Romero that sent Spurs back to the dressing rooms happy.
It was Maddison’s initial corner and then dinked cross that Burnley could only half clear. Bodies were thrown in the way and succeeded in blocking twice – first from Dejan Kulusevski and then from Sarr.
But when it fell to Romero on the edge of the box, his strike, which kissed the inside of the far post as it crashed in, was inch-perfect and thankfully not chalked off by the VAR offside check.
Kompany didn’t stand on ceremony in the search for improvements, making two half-time changes and newcomer Josh Brownhill was soon firing just over.
Vincent Kompany’s team remain pointless and face a struggle in the Premier League this year
But Burnley, who were able to play out from the back in the Championship last season but are being found out in the top-flight, were soon in a muddle again.
Trafford played a dinked pass to Al Dakhil on the touchline, who was forced to control it at chest height. His attempted ball to safety down the line deflected off Destiny Udogie and then off him.
Al Dakhil thought it’d gone out but Udogie was alive to the possibility and his square pass found Maddison with Burnley’s defence parted like the Red Sea.
There was an inevitability about Maddison’s exquisite curled shot finding the corner of the net and his team-mates were soon on the oche for Maddison’s familiar dart-throwing celebration.
Guglielmo Vicario was forced into a fine save to deny Foster but Spurs were rampant and Son supplied their fourth just after the hour.
Solomon again set him up, dribbling into the Burnley box and cutting it back across. Son’s finish was crisp, clinical.
Son’s third sparked a low rumble of seats as the home fans departed. It was a low shot to the near post after a beautiful pass through by Porro from deep.
The home fans, those who remained, were defiant in singing to the final whistle. There was late cheer when Josh Brownhill scored while being clattered.
But they face a long season. Spurs are in for a thoroughly entertaining one.
