Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has had a difficult few weeks on and off the pitch but his knack of scoring goals never lets him down, as shown by his second-half strike in a 2-0 Premier League win against Watford on Monday.
“I feel good. I’d like to have played better in the last few games, same of the team, but I feel good, feel sharp and could have scored more. Hopefully I can finish strong like I did last season going into a big summer,” the England forward said ahead of the World Cup.
The win at Wembley put fourth-placed Spurs five points clear of Chelsea in the race for Champions League places and although Kane was again not at his best, the striker was in the right place at the right time to wrap up three vital points for Spurs.
Kane has looked below par since returning from an ankle injury suffered at Bournemouth in early March, having missed England’s last two friendlies. He was initially ruled out for over a month but returned on April 1 off the bench at Chelsea.
His subdued performances since then have raised the question of whether he returned to action too soon and maybe would have benefited from a longer break ahead of the World Cup, but Spurs did not have the luxury of resting their main striker.
Kane has also faced criticism from opposition players and fans alike for claiming a goal that brushed against his arm at Stoke City and was originally given to Christian Eriksen.
But the forward, who now has 27 league goals and 38 for the season, can cope with criticism as he tries to catch Liverpool’s Mo Salah (31) for the Golden Boot as Premier League top scorer.
“I try to improve every year. Last year I got 29 goals so I’d like to beat that but we’ll see what happens. In my mind I’m trying to get to that 30 mark,” said Kane.
The striker, making his 150th Premier League appearance against Watford, has scored 105 goals in the competition and only Alan Shearer (121) got more in his first 150 matches.
“He scored, he needs to improve his performance still, but he’s happy,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters. “What more can you say about him? He’s a fantastic striker and I’m happy he scored again.”
Asked why Kane’s form had been indifferent since his injury, Pochettino said: “It’s a mix of different things. It wasn’t a great period for him the last few weeks and, of course, he’s only human and was a little bit affected.
“But he’s a strong guy mentally and physically and I’m sure that first of all he’s going to perform well for us and then he’ll arrive in a very good condition to play in the World Cup.”
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
