European Football Championship: Criticism and doubts: Kane as a symbol of weak Englishmen

Gareth Southgate said Harry Kane was “doing a great job”. The English head coach is currently pretty exclusive with this opinion of his captain. Kane, otherwise known as a goal machine, has come under massive criticism from the British media, some experts and, above all, many fans of the Three Lions ahead of the European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday (9 p.m./ZDF and MagentaTV).

“Immense role”

The accusations: The Bayern star is not fit, is far from his best form and, despite scoring two goals in the tournament, has not been a factor in the English game so far. On the way to the first major triumph since the World Cup title 58 years ago, one question in particular is: will an out-of-form Kane help this team – or will he be more of a hindrance? “He may not be in the flow, but he still plays an immense role for the group,” said Southgate in defense of his leading player.

The last two knockout games showed how much the Kane monument is shaking these days: Substitution in the victory after extra time against Slovakia. Substitution in the victory after a penalty shootout against Switzerland, when he dragged himself off the field with cramps. Afterwards he watched from the bench as all the shooters kept their nerve. A situation that seemed unthinkable in previous tournaments.

The alternatives are Toney and Watkins

His performance was subsequently condemned in the domestic media. Kane was put in the “loser” category and described as “immobile”. The 30-year-old himself is quite relaxed about the criticism. “We’re in the semi-finals, so we’re probably doing pretty well. We really have this belief that we can do something special,” said Kane.

Quite a few are calling for Kane to be replaced by one of the two current reserves, Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins. But the conservative and ever-loyal Southgate will certainly not touch his captain in Dortmund. “Gareth will stay with him, he will not take Harry Kane out. He is one of his leaders and one of the greatest footballers England has ever had,” said former international player Gary Neville on Sky.

Especially since Kane was able to give the all-clear quickly after being substituted in the quarter-finals. “I’m fine, I was just tired. I had a bit of cramp, tripped over a couple of water bottles and both my calves were cramping,” reported the striker. Earlier in the tournament, the Bayern striker had said he was at 100 percent.

Less than 100 passes received

Anyone who has seen Kane play in the tournament will doubt this. Kane, who is usually so strong in the game and passes, is often completely in limbo. The Guardian broke down statistics on Monday to get a detailed picture of his performance. The result: poor passing rate, very few ball contacts. While the other attacking players Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden received a total of 300 passes over the five games at the European Championships, Kane received less than 100.

But even if he doesn’t impress on the pitch, Kane is irreplaceable as the undisputed leader of the collective. He is the undisputed leader of the team and defends his teammates against criticism from outside. This was also the case at this European Championship, when the experts started ranting early on and national icon Gary Lineker described England’s performance as “shit”.

Kane replied: “I don’t want to be disrespectful to any player, especially one who deserves it. We haven’t won anything for a long time. These players were part of that. They know how tough it is in these tournaments.” This time it seems particularly tough for England. The Three Lions are in the semi-finals, but luck played a big role, especially in the knockout matches. England are rumbling through the tournament and have not yet put in a single performance worth seeing.

Will Kane’s titlelessness end in Berlin?

For Kane, history could actually be reversed in a very strange way in his adopted home these days. Throughout his career, the striker scored goal after goal, set records – and ended up empty-handed. Even perennial champions FC Bayern were suddenly replaced as national champions by Bayer Leverkusen last season. And that despite Kane scoring 36 Bundesliga goals in his first season.

This time, despite all the doubts and doubters, the English are very close to the silver trophy. And that despite the fact that Kane looks injured, Bellingham seems out of form and the billionaire ensemble is only offering football on a low flame. Two more wins and captain Kane could raise the trophy into the Berlin night sky on Sunday.al touched the ball.