Kane slammed for ‘infuriating’ trait in England win as tired argument resurrected despite ‘one of my best games’
It should not be that Harry Kane dropping deep to be brilliant is framed as an ‘infuriating’ problem for England in actual 2025 but here we are again.
It’s the Hope that kills you
If you look closely enough at the opening paragraph to Craig Hope’s England reaction in the Daily Mail, you can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half:
‘Morgan Rogers chose a bad time to have his first quiet game for England last month, and here was his second. Now that Jude Bellingham is back, the noise for his inclusion will grow, just like the cheer that welcomed his replacement of Rogers in the second half.’
And…now.
Hope has largely spent the last two international breaks trying to convince the world that England do not need Bellingham, that they are contemplating ‘pressing ahead with World Cup preparations’ without him.
Some might say such an argument was always based on nonsense if the edifice starts collapsing in on itself after two fairly underwhelming games.
Morgan Rogers is described as a ‘spectator’ who ‘did not provide the guile that a player in his position ought to offer’ against Serbia, and that ‘ his progress has flatlined’.
There is obviously still room for a dig at Bellingham and his comparatively poor ‘positional discipline’ as he ‘can wander like the star he believes he should be for England’. Because something, something, intimidatory ego.
Bellingham will also ‘no doubt feel he deserves to start in Albania on Sunday,’ whereas the humble and deferential Rogers will simply accept whatever call Tuchel makes.
Hope is absolutely right on one thing: ‘Tuchel’s management of the situation has been smart.’ Some of the reaction to it, rather less so.
You Kane hardly believe it
It is heartening that in the year of our lord 2025, the Harry Kane Should Stop Dropping Deep narrative persists.
Ian Ladyman has a vague point that it can sometimes be ‘infuriating’ to see one of the best strikers in world football roaming around midfield and playing phenomenal passes to brilliant forwards before himself pushing up to join the attack. That sh*t is exasperating, even if you’d think the frustration surrounding it would have worn off after well over half a decade.
And to be fair it really has been an issue in some major tournaments when Kane has been poor and even detrimental to the team.
It just feels like a weird time to make the point after a 2-0 win in the midst of the best run of goalscoring form of Kane’s career, in which he has often played behind a striker for Bayern Munich.
As the man himself said following an inspirational performance against Borussia Dortmund when stationed behind Nicolas Jackson in October: “I think it was one of my best games, probably of my career, to be honest, in terms of affecting the game in all different ways.”
The bloke likes to get involved and, most importantly, is bloody good at it. It’s not exactly Wayne Rooney dragging the last years of his career out plodding around the centre circle and spraying 50-yard passes for no apparent reason.
Sure, ‘it’s one thing doing this on a mild November night against poor opposition and quite another during a World Cup summer in hot conditions and against better teams’. But it seems very early and unnecessary to start building that particular straw man – especially when he has a three-week winter break coming up.
‘The sight of Kane tackling Serbia centre forward Dusan Vlahovic on the edge of his own penalty area and then appearing on the end of a pass 60 yards up field seconds later summed his night up,’ is also a spectacular sentence to write as part of some seemingly constructive criticism.
Stop doing all the good stuff and just get in the box, Harry.
MORE ENGLAND REACTION FROM F365
🦁 F365 picks England’s World Cup-winning XI: Spence, Rashford win left-wing debate
🦁 England 2-0 Serbia player ratings: Bellingham, Foden, Eze stake claims from bench
🦁 The discarded England XI without a hope of a World Cup squad place
Surprise, surprise
Phil Foden being credited with the “key” role in Eberechi Eze’s wonderful curler was funny but perhaps there was something in the water at Wembley because this is weird.
As John Cross writes in his Daily Mirror player ratings of Declan Rice: ‘No surprise he delivered a free kick which led to a goal.’
Not sure they worked on a routine in which Rice’s relatively poor delivery was punched clear, shot back in, deflected and then sublimely volleyed in from a difficult angle.
Rash decision
There is no harm in a difference of opinion; it’s part and parcel of football. But this is a delightfully stark contrast in takes from the same game.
‘Marcus Rashford, who did not even go to Germany, had a clear chance to book his ticket to North America last night. But the on-loan Barcelona forward failed to grab it’ – Neil McLeman, Daily Mirror.
Rashford’s form for Barcelona is being mirrored for England now and he was arguably his country’s best player on an otherwise rather slow night at Wembley’ – Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail.
So Rashford either ‘flattered to deceive’ or ‘is slowly wrapping up another position’ in this England side. Glad to have cleared that up.
READ MORE: Bellingham question answered as Rashford misses chance, Foden eases England’s Kane problem
Admission impossible
‘Liverpool get Antoine Semenyo boost as Bournemouth chief admits – ‘Who are we to say no?” is a fun little headline from the Daily Mirror website.
The Liverpool ‘boost’? That a Bournemouth executive has basically said the club won’t stand in the way of a player if a) they wish to leave, b) the club wanting to sign them is higher in the food chain and, crucially, c) the move makes sense for Bournemouth, especially financially.
Is that a ‘boost’? Or is it a statement of the obvious after a summer in which Bournemouth generated about £150m by selling players to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and, well, Liverpool?
