As the England national team heads into the remaining games of the International break, there is one man who will be looked upon to make the difference- Tottenham talisman Harry Kane. The latest in a long line of English football saviors and great new hopes, he’ll be counted on to lead Three Lions to victory.
England have two games left in their UEFA Nations League journey with a trip to Belgium on Thursday being the first. Then they will be at home to Iceland to conclude the campaign. To guarantee qualification for the semi-finals, they will require two wins out of two.
And the player who can lead them to the knockout stages of the competition is the aforementioned Harry Kane. He’s been in tremendous form for his club, racking up a number of goals and assists.
It is the goal providing skills of his that have come to the fore this season. Kane’s playmaking ability has led to his teammate Heung-min Son profiting enormously and the same could happen at the national level.
In the setup that Gareth Southgate is likely to go with, there will be three forwards playing. One will be Jadon Sancho and the other player complementing the Spurs striker would most likely be Jack Grealish.
Both of them are incredibly creative, and they will benefit much from the way that the centre forward plays. His ball retention skills will be useful in bringing them into the game. Doing this will lead to England gaining a foothold over the Belgians.
Another unique advantage that the Spurs forward has over Belgium, is his personal knowledge of two of their defenders. He has spent many years playing with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen at Tottenham. This knowledge will come in handy when both teams take to the pitch. (Conversely of course, they know him well too)
Southgate will be looking forward to seeing how his wingers and wing backs are able to provide service to their attack’s focal point. If they can provide that on a regular basis, both Iceland and Belgium will have a real task on their hands in trying to stop England’s attacking third.
For England to qualify from their group, getting a win on Sunday is a must and they have a trump card in Kane. His unique set of skills are a problem for even best defences in the world. If he is able to find some semblance of his club form, he will definitely be getting his country the wins that they need.