Saturday 19th June 2021
Top scorer without a shot on goal
“Miserable” Captain Kane angered England
The English national football team has one of the most talented squads in the European Championship. But the opening euphoria was followed by a “frustrating” draw, garnished with boos, in the home Wembley Stadium against both courageous and limited Scots. Have the “Three Lions” overestimated themselves again? In any case, the British press has identified a major weak point: Captain Harry Kane, superstar of Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League top scorer still waiting for his first shot on goal after two games.
“No Kane do”, is the headline of the “Guardian” in its Saturday edition. A play on words with the well-known English expression “no can do”, in German: That doesn’t work. “In a frustrating night against steel bulkheads, the captain does not ignite,” is the brief conclusion.
What is meant? After two group games, the current top scorer in the English Premier League is still waiting for his very first shot on goal. He seems trying, but “not fit”, as the Guardian writes. “Is he tired after a long season? Like against Croatia, he was substituted before the final whistle.”
Also the “Sun” finds the English captain’s performance so far disappointing. “Three Lions booed in a dreary draw, miserable Kane replaced,” the tabloid sums up the game against Scotland: “England was nervous at first, then panicked. Unsorted, then completely chaotic. Nobody kept a cool head or believed in themselves. And when Harry Kane was taken off the field with 16 minutes to go, it was clear that the captain would be a problem for coach Gareth Southgate. “
Too much in the same direction “The Times”. The English team as a whole is “so much less than the sum of its fantastic individual parts. The complete opposite of Scotland,” writes the conservative newspaper. “Harry Kane looked terrifyingly weak, Raheem Steerling could never escape the determined Scottish defensive.”
Also the “Independent” saw a “disappointing” English national team in the second group match. “A legendary duel highlights some of England’s legendary weaknesses in major tournaments,” the newspaper analyzes. “Now England have to win the last game against the Czech Republic in order to be group first – with the looming problem Harry Kane.”
The venerable one BBC can also see little good in the draw against Scotland, but still finds the boos of the English fans “somewhat exaggerated”. “Nobody, least of all Southgate, is blind enough to gloss over this game,” said the match report. “But by and large, England are still in a very good starting position before the last group game against the Czech Republic: One win and you finish the group safely in first place.”
Will Harry Kane lead the “Three Lions” back onto the pitch as captain in the decisive group game for the time being? Probably. Or not? In any case, Gareth Southgate knows that the Tottenham striker has played a disappointing European Championship so far. After being substituted for Scotland, England had “more energy” on the pitch, the England coach admitted after the final whistle. “We missed shots on goal. We’ll have to see that over the next few days.”
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