HARRY: I MUST DO BETTER

BULGARIA v ENGLAND

HARRY KANE admits he is going through a “tough period” – even if he is in redhot form on a personal level.

Kane has scored 12 goals for club and country this season but it has been a difficult time for both Tottenham and England and he will need to show all of his leadership qualities.

Tottenham, who are 13 points off the title pace and out of the Carabao Cup, suffered a humiliating defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League a few days before an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Brighton and clearly all is not well at the club. Indeed after eight league games they are a point behind Burnley.

It is an unusual situation for Kane, who has known only good times at Spurs, and there was an unexpected defeat in Prague on Friday night when England lost their first qualifying match in 10 years, against the Czech Republic.

England need a reaction to get their qualifying campaign back on track and Kane is hungry to lead by example against Bulgaria tonight.

Kane, England’s captain, will also skipper Tottenham while Hugo Lloris (inset) is out injured.

The striker, who has scored 27 goals in 42 England appearances, said: “It’s great to be scoring goals but even better to be winning games. Whenever we lose or I feel I haven’t played well, I look back on my game and see what I could have done better. I still feel I can improve.

“I am scoring goals but can I get more assists and create more chances? So yeah, I always look at little things I can get better at.

“Yes, the England form has been good but it can be better. We will see if I can continue scoring. It has been a good campaign but it’s important I do not stop now.

“I have the captain’s role at England and accept that responsibility. I will be captain (at Spurs) for however long Hugo is out. But I have said before that my game doesn’t change, my personality doesn’t change. I am still the same person, I try to lead by example on and off the pitch and I will continue to do that.

“I have been in high-pressure situations before in my career, whether that is going through goal droughts, playing in highpressure games, or not playing well as a team. It is something I will take in my stride.

“I think you need to lead by example, like not getting too down when you lose a game, not getting too high when you win games. It is a long season for club and country – there are a lot of games to be played so there are going to be tough periods.

“Hopefully we can win on Monday night for England and then I will go back to Spurs and take that in my stride and see how that progresses.”

It feels like a big season, for England in general and for Kane in particular. At club level the spotlight is on Tottenham’s need to win trophies; at international level there’s the chance to win a major tournament that will be played largely on home soil. Already fans still high on England’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup last year are talking about a successful Euro 2020, even though qualification for the finals next summer has not even been sealed yet.

Kane added: “It is normal when it is close to a home tournament for people to get excited when the team is playing well and winning games. After the World Cup, everyone is expecting us to just push on, and people are thinking about the Euro finals next year already.

“It is down to us as players and as a nation, the staff, and everyone involved, to focus on the now – and that means winning in Bulgaria. That will put us in a fantastic position.

“The most important thing is to qualify for the Euros. If we do, we have to experiment on a few things and see what comes out best for the Euros.”