Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), who reigned as England 'absolute ace', has been reduced to Gyereuk. Criticism has even been raised to remove Kane, the national team captain and star player, from the starting line-up. British sports media 'The Athletic' reported on the 9th (Korea time) 'Is Kane on the verge of becoming England's Cristiano Ronaldo? If it was a few years ago, it would have been a compliment, but in 2024, this question is more of a criticism. Kane is said to remain in the team solely based on his reputation,' the report said.
It means that Kane is not practically helpful to the team. It is a scathing criticism that he won the main position thanks to the name value he built up with past glory and performance. Ronaldo used to be the heart of Portugal, but not now. The Athletic said 'We have to deal with the Kane issue. England advanced to the semi-finals, but Kane, the best goal scorer of all time, is like a scarecrow with arthritis.
England will face the Netherlands in the semifinals of Euro 2024 at 4 a.m. on the 11th (Korea time) in Dortmund, Germany. The process was very rough even though it came up to the semi-finals. The group qualifying round, the round of 16 Slovenia, and the round of 8 Switzerland all barely won after a rough match. Analysts began to pour in that the main reason for England's sluggish performance was Kane.
The Athletic said 'Kane's movements are uncomfortable and clunky. Linked play is weak and lacks agility. It is similar to Ronaldo who failed to influence Portugal in the quarterfinals. Another media outlet 'Guardian'Kane scored only two goals on his way to the semifinals. The match against Switzerland didn't have any performance. There is a demand for Kane to be excluded in the match against the Netherlands. 'Independent' Also 'Kane hovered around. His play raised a lot of questions. I can hear voices calling for Kane to be excluded from the game. Wayne Bridge, a former England international football expert, said it would be a big decision, but if I were a coach, I would put Ivan Toney (Brentford) at the forefront instead of Kane.
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Kane is a front-line striker and a typical type of 10 who comes down to the second line at the same time and is actively involved in ball distribution. In the English national team, Kane's intervention in the midfield is not working at all. It is pointed out that it is better to lead defenders and stay in a high position. However, if he is only going to play like that, Tony is more suitable than Kane. The Athletic argued that 'Cain might be blasphemy if he can't show his best, but he might as well put someone else in it.
The odds of England manager Gareth Southgate drastically dropping Kane in the semi-finals are very low. Alan Shearer added "Unless Kane is injured, he plays. He is a captain and a goalscorer. You can't leave Kane out. Kane needs to score goals, so it's best to stay in the box. There are many players who will pass even if they are not Kane. If I were a coach, I would use Kane, but I would tell him to stick to his duties in the box."
England's teammates also agreed that they could not imagine a national team without Kane. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) added "Anyone against England would want Kane not to come out. Kane is a huge threat and can score goals from every angle." Defensive back Luke Shaw (Manchester United) also added "Kane gives other players a positive feeling on the field. He can score goals and make a difference at any time. He is a very important player and our captain," he said, dismissing the criticism.
