By half-time in Gelsenkirchen, Harry Kane was doing his best Erling Haaland impression. Not in terms of goalscoring feats, but by standing on the periphery, waiting for his moment. If Haaland has cracked the code to produce the displays of the most ruthless efficiency since arriving in the Premier League, averaging a goal a game while barely having a touch for dominant Manchester City, England, it seems, have a similar plan for their captain.
Except when Kane comes away from England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia having touched the ball just 24 times, including just twice in the first half, the logic of isolating the tournament’s leading striker can come into question. Kane was largely anonymous against Serbia as Gareth Southgate’s side held on to claim a narrow and nervy 1-0 win, having the fewest touches and passes (nine from 12 attempts) in England’s starting line-up. That, however, does not necessarily mean it is a bad thing.
Kane is not only England’s record goalscorer but a unique forward, a striker with all the vital qualities of a No 9 blended with the playmaking instincts of a creative No 10. In his record-breaking years at Tottenham and now in Germany at Bayern Munich, as well as with England, Kane has thrived by being more than just a striker, by dropping into spaces away from the defensive line before springing passes onto livewire wingers to run in behind. Kane mastered the role so perfectly that he almost created a new position: the 9.5.
But against Serbia, Kane was as true a No 9 as they come. He remained at the tip of England’s attack, up against Serbia’s three centre-backs, and did not budge. In the first half in Gelsenkirchen and while Jude Bellingham ran the show for England, leading the Three Lions in touches, tackles and, crucially, goals, Kane was a bystander. If the first half represented a glimmer of why England are among the favourites for Euro 2024, before the fraught slog of the second, Kane appeared to contribute little to a positive performance.
Except, in a more subtle way, he did: England have a No 10 now in Bellingham, a star who can drive England forward and shape the game in the manner he choses, writing his own scripts. Bellingham was the game’s standout player, the clearest sign yet for England that he can be the force who makes the difference at Euro 2024, but Kane dropping into the spaces between the lines would have taken away from that. Can Kane and Bellingham play together? Absolutely. But it requires discipline from Kane to hold his position and not crowd the midfield.
Kane, too, can benefit from this. For the first time in the Southgate era, England are not as reliant on their captain’s abilities as a playmaker, given their attacking options and the evoluation of Southgate’s team. Bukayo Saka, who was outstanding on England’s right, was another whose performance was helped by Kane keeping the shape and leading the line. Phil Foden, who was far quieter on the left, is sure to have his moment at some stage, and his relationship with Haaland at Manchester City shows how the Premier League’s player of the year is suited to coming into the spaces created by a central striker.
Southgate was not concerned and highlighted Kane’s work as a focal point to alleviate pressure in the second half. “We’ve got so many options with the ball and we were in so much control, we didn’t need everyone to be fully involved in the game,” Southgate said afterwards. “His performance in the second half where the number of times he held it up, the fouls we won, eased pressure on the defence, it was incredible really. The first half was quieter but that was the flow of the game.”
Southgate also raised the issue of England’s complicated build up after they lost control in the second half. Kane is one of several players in the team who were lacking match fitness following the end of the club season. He missed the final two rounds of the Bundesliga due to a back injury picked up in Bayern Munich’s defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals and was limited to 29 minutes against Bosnia and 63 minutes against Iceland in England’s Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies.
Kane’s evening would have been talked about very differently had the England captain scored his back-post header late on against Serbia, as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic made a sublime save to tip his effort onto the crossbar. Yet Kane’s performance would have remained the same. It would have changed everything and nothing, which, in itself, is an illustration of the Haaland binary complex, where performances can be distilled into Xs and Os. Did they score or didn’t they? You would back Kane to get the next one.
