The Southgate Files One year on, has England’s manager delivered?
Defender insists side will not be reliant on Kane National team can reach City’s level, he claims
Even though his club manager, Pep Guardiola, described Tottenham Hotspur as “the Harry Kane team”, Manchester City defender John Stones does not believe England will become too reliant on their star striker.
Kane scored 13 goals for club and country in September and his hot streak started with a brace for England against Malta.
Ahead of the final two World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania, the 24-year-old’s form has earned him comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Stones does not foresee England revolving around Kane, in the same way the likes of Portugal, Argentina and Wales have modelled themselves around Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale.
Asked if England could soon be known as “the Harry Kane team”, Stones replied: “I think Harry, if you spoke to him and asked him that question, he would say he would not want it to be like that because that is the type of guy he is – a team player.
“He knows the jobs and roles of everybody else and knows what he can bring into the team and he is a massive part of it. I definitely think he would not want it to be like that and he would want to be known as part of an England team that won things and played great football, whoever was in the team. Personally, I don’t think it matters who scores as long as the ball goes into the net. If Harry scores a hat-trick and we win, he is not a selfish guy – he will make sure that it is known that we won because everybody has done their job. That is the type of the guy he is.
“Not only Harry, we have other players who have a goal in them. Eric [Dier] scored a vital goal away, Harry is in good form, he’s raring to go. I’ve been playing with him since the Under-19s and I know how hungry he is to keep improving.”
Kane has admitted that he would like the permanent England captaincy and Stones added: “He has everything, but there are a lot of experienced players and candidates to be captain in the squad. There are so many leaders out there and players who want to be leaders. Harry is one of those candidates.”
Goalkeeper Joe Hart believes Kane has the same drive to reach the levels set by Ronaldo, Messi and Bale. “You can see it,” said Hart. “I see it in Harry. I see how he behaves. It is a good person to have in our squad, but I see it in a lot of the players. We all want the same thing.
“Harry is hot, isn’t he? He is scoring just as many goals as the people we have related to as world class and he has been doing it for many seasons. Harry gets put in that bracket and deserves to be. He has [Mauricio] Pochettino, one of the hottest managers in the world, who regards him highly and there are reasons for that. Harry will keep being Harry and he will keep scoring goals. As long as he is in my team, wearing an England badge, I want that to continue.”
Hart was on the receiving end of some Kane magic last month, when he scored twice in Tottenham’s 3-2 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium.
“You know you will get a hard shot with Harry,” said Hart. “If you give him half an inch he will get a strike on goal and make you work.
“There is no real secret to him and that is the brilliance of Harry. It is not dazzling skills, Harry is just brilliant at what he does and he is just one of the best out there. He keeps scoring goals and you cannot ask for any more than that. Long may it continue in an England shirt.
“Some of the rubbish coming his way when he did not score in August… but I still regarded Harry as the one you saw at the end of September with the same frightening number of goals. Whether he keeps his form, scores 40 goals or ends up with 20, he is still a top player and we are lucky to have him.”
Stones helped Manchester City to a superb victory against Chelsea last weekend, when Guardiola’s team managed to dominate the Premier League champions.
England seem a long way from being able to contemplate such performances against top-quality opposition, but central defender Stones does not feel it is an impossible dream for the current squad.
“I would like to think we can play like that,” said Stones. “We have got the players to do it. It is difficult to bring how you play in the Premier League into international football – it is so different. But we are always striving to be better and there is a lot of likeness between how City play to international football, as with Tottenham and various other clubs.
“As long as England win and keep clean sheets and keep bettering themselves every year – and hopefully making the nation proud – that is all that matters. We have to keep making steps forward and keep progressing and trying to do our best for ourselves, our families and the nation.”
Stones is expected to be recalled into Gareth Southgate’s starting team against Slovenia and, on his own form, he added: “I have always been moving in the right direction. Everyone has their ups and downs.
“We started this season off well as a team at club level and it was an important match against Chelsea. Defensively, on a personal level, maybe it was one of the best games I have played in.”