Life without Kane looks pretty scary
IT may have been coincidence that without Harry Kane, England failed to score for the first time since their goalless draw against the USA at the last World Cup. But, in reality, it was no coincidence at all. For all the deserved hype surrounding Jude Bellingham, Kane remains Gareth
Southgate’s most crucial player. Without Kane — and Bukayo Saka to an extent — England’s attacking threat is thwarted. Reduced intimidation. Reduced menace. Regulating England’s attack when they aren’t playing is significantly easier, providing the opposition with greater impetus to impose themselves. In Kane’s absence, Ollie Watkins was handed a Euro 2024 audition. Without much service, he was industrious without pulling up any trees. Anthony Gordon gave a good account on his debut but is short of Saka’s immense quality. Ivan Toney will have his chance tomorrow against Belgium to stake a claim to be Kane’s back-up, while Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer and Marcus Rashford will hope for opportunities to state their cases out wide. As Southgate digested defeat, the performance without the absentees reinforced what he already knew. ‘We need to find out about them (alternatives to Kane), we need to know where we might head if we didn’t have Harry for a big match,’ he explained. ‘We were clearly missing a couple that would normally start but for us it was a good experiment.’ That captain Kane has left the England camp to return to Bayern Munich for treatment on his injured ankle will heighten anxiety. Although Southgate moved quickly to reassure fans. ‘The injury he’s got now is a bit of an extreme incident, he got his foot caught in the netting,’ explained Southgate. ‘He’s such a good professional that he’ll give himself the best chance of being fit and available.’ Similarly, the absence of the injured Luke Shaw provided some mitigation for the defeat and the overall insipid display. He provides a real balance on the left. Ben Chilwell, Shaw’s understudy, looked rusty, although the Chelsea defender has been carrying his own fitness issues of late. Southgate was realistic about how involved Shaw can be in Germany as he recovers from a hamstring injury. ‘I don’t want to kill Ben — but Luke’s one of the best left backs in world football, frankly,’ admitted Southgate. ‘But he (Shaw) is going to be right on the edge of the season (in his recovery from injury). We know now (for Shaw) to play seven matches in a Euros is highly unlikely.’ Getting the best players on the pitch will be the key factor in whether England can win a first trophy since 1966. Equally, the way Brazil brutally treated Bellingham highlights the importance of keeping them on the pitch in the face of intense provocation. It is a lesson the 20-year-old must learn from. ‘That’s a good experience for him to have to go through,’ said Southgate. ‘I thought he handled it well.’