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The Tottenham ace is a good striker, but his skills are better suited to a deeper role, as underscored by his performance with José Mourinho.
For the first time since Gareth Southgate became England coach in September 2016, there are doubts about his abilities as a coach.
His quiet and dignified revolution during these last four years seemed to end the era of English exceptionalism in international tournaments; low performance suffocating; from migraine tension between superstars frozen in fear and a vicious tabloid press.
Yet all of a sudden these elements are seeping back into the national psyche, a consequence not just of the players’ new status on the England pitch, but of Southgate’s tactical hesitancy.
Building a brave underdog team when expectations were on the low after Roy Hodgson is one thing. Now that England has another ‘Golden Generation’ emerging, the demons of the Sven Goran Eriksson years – the Red Top gossip, 0-0 draws, the overwhelming sense of inevitable misery – are resurfacing.
When England lost to the Czech Republic in October 2019, the first warning sign that England are not necessarily on an upward trajectory after fourth-place at the World Cup in Russia, Southgate had reached eight defeats in 38 matches. Hodgson took 56 games to reach that point.
A year later, two bland performances against Iceland and Denmark have raised serious questions.
If England continue to play slowly against Wales, Belgium and Denmark over the next week, the role of captain Harry Kane should come under scrutiny.
The recent 0-0 draw with the Danes and a 1-0 last-minute win over Iceland, matches in which England dominated the ball but failed to break through a deep defense, taught us that something tactical has to change, and clearly . it’s not just about changing the lineup.
Southgate has tried 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 in recent outings, betraying his tactical shortcomings and the feeling he’s struggling to figure out how to unlock. stubborn defenses happy to retreat to their own third.
A back three tends to be revealed only out of necessity and, after the dismal performance against Denmark, we can expect it to be filed again. But a 4-3-3 with Kane leading the line is no more incisive.
The Tottenham striker has never been one to run behind, instead constantly diving in to link the game and create for others.
He is famous for wearing the number 10 jersey because he feels more comfortable in this role than as a penalty striker, so when England play poorly, no one seems more lethargic, more lost, than Kane.
This kind of play means England are stuck playing opposite their opponents, with wingers Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho waiting patiently on the flanks, Kane leaving center-backs unoccupied, and a functional central midfield struggling to reach the ball between the lines. .
That doesn’t mean that Kane should be eliminated from the starting eleven. He has been in exceptional form with José Mourinho at Spurs this season, scoring three goals and assisting six more, mainly because he has been given the freedom to play his favorite position as a deep 10.
Mourinho instructs his players to sit in a conservative middle block, rather than press high, with the intention of luring the opposition forward and counterattacking from behind. He gives his forwards genuine creative freedom, and Kane has naturally found himself dropping deeper to create opportunities by picking running backs Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura as they move behind opponents’ high defensive line.
The problem for England is that they are rarely given the opportunity to play like this, their matches more closely resemble Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with a stubborn Newcastle than the 5-2 and 6-1 wins over Southampton and Manchester United, respectively. .
However, there is room for Kane to play similarly in a retired role for England. Southgate’s 4-3-3 is too hard-working in the midfield anyway, as Mason Mount’s recent pick in the middle attests, so perhaps Kane could be deployed as second striker, lurking behind a number 9 who is willing to race. in back of.
England’s main concern against stiff benches of four is the inability to pick up pace or get the opponent out of shape. The range of passing Kane has shown this season at Tottenham tells us that he may be England’s lost creator, especially if Southgate is reluctant to pick Jack Grealish.
In the most recent international break, Kane played 168 of 180 minutes, and the only other forward to see playing time was Danny Ings, given a 20-minute cameo awkwardly deflected to the right wing against Denmark.
The fact that the Southampton striker came in, replacing Phil Foden, showed that Southgate is aware of the need for more direct firepower. That he played so little of the game and in the wrong position showed that Southgate is too committed to Kane.
England are in a rarefied position of having a host of talented forwards at the moment, but none of them can really stand a chance to form partnerships with their national colors because Kane is unmoved at the top end.
Marcus Rashford would rather play as a forward, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored six Premier League goals in four games, Ollie Watkins has impressed with Aston Villa and Ings scored 22 goals last season.
Starting with any of these players would give England a willing runner, a more agile figure at the front of the field capable of stretching out the opposing defense and pulling a center back from his base position, which in turn would free a Kane. Deeper to pull the strings or being late to the penalty area.
A growing concern for Southgate, as the wolves begin to consider a hunt, is that his team lacks the most subtle and elusive quality: creativity. But to seek him out as the best club coaches do, in space invasion, passing patterns and counter pressure, would be a mistake given the unique rhythms of international football.
There is so little time for real cohesion to develop, England’s best option is to deliver opportunities to the hungry, aggressive strikers and scorers currently waiting on the wings.
Plus, with the Ings or Calvert-Lewin move ahead of him, Kane can fulfill his true dream of becoming England’s No. 10.
