I WANT TO PEAK AT THE RIGHT TIME… AND THE RIGHT TIME IS THE KNOCKOUT STAGES
IF Harry Kane is suffering a crisis of confidence, you would not know it. Three games, zero goals is not the way the england captain would have visualised his euros, yet there is no hint of panic.
It is all very reassuring ahead of Tuesday’s last 16 tie against Germany. Because, let’s face it, england’s hopes of ending their 55-year wait for a major trophy rest with Kane rediscovering his goalscoring touch.
The 27-year- old acknowledges his performances thus far haven’t been up to scratch, yet in the same breath he knows his tournament can change in an instant.
‘The first two games weren’t my best,’ said Kane. ‘I definitely could have improved. I thought the third game (against the Czech republic) was a tough game, but I felt a lot better.
‘I felt I had a lot more involvement. I could go 10, 15 games without scoring but give me a chance and I’d back myself to score.
‘I’m in a good place. Going into Tuesday night, physically, I’m in the best shape of the tournament so far, and that’s what I kind of wanted going into this.
‘I felt maybe at the World Cup in russia I started on fire, scored loads of goals, then maybe didn’t have my best performances in the most important games — the quarters and the semi-finals.
‘So coming into this, physically, I wanted to make sure I was peaking at the right time and obviously we won’t know until Tuesday night if that’s the case, but that’s the way I feel it’s going.
‘For me it is about trying to peak at the right time and the right time in tournament football is the knockout stages.
‘I feel good, I feel sharp. This training week is going to be great and hopefully I can come into my best form and that will help the team.’
More often than not Kane delivers. Having won the Golden Boot in russia three years ago, Kane went into the euros as the Premier League’s top scorer and assist-provider last season.
The fact that so many have written him off after three matches beggars belief. not that it bothers Kane.
‘People are quick to change their mind,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t too long ago that I won the Golden Boot and I was the best thing in the world. People rave about you.
‘you can’t get too high or too low. you just have to have that neutral mode. Self-belief is a huge thing. It’s not the first time people have doubted me in my career.’
Some suggest Kane is yet to find the net because his mind is elsewhere. He wants to leave Tottenham, that is no secret.
He wants to join Manchester City and it emerged last week that the champions had launched their £100million effort to extract him from north London.
and if that was not enough to drive Kane to distraction, Tottenham’s calamitous attempts to appoint a new manager would certainly do it.
But he is adamant that his focus is in one place. ‘Does it affect my form? no, not at all, to be honest,’ he insisted.
‘My brother is my agent, but the only time I’ve spoken to my brother over the last few weeks it has been, “Good luck, let’s get a win and let’s take england all the way”.
‘It doesn’t really bother me about the outside noise. When I’m here I’m with the boys, I try to help the boys, be a leader in the team.
‘I need to get to know the boys, see what makes certain players tick, and the younger lads, helping them, so I feel like I’ve got enough on my plate without worrying about anything outside of england.
‘That’s where I’m at, and of course I feel like it’s one of those where if you’re not scoring as a striker, people look for every little angle why you’re not scoring and that’s probably the case in this tournament so far.
‘But as long as I’m focused, I’ve got the self-belief I have, I’m not worried about anyone else.
‘I just try to stay away from it all. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up with other stuff but the experience I’ve had in the last few tournaments is just to focus on this and do what you can in the moment and leave no regrets.’
Here’s to no regrets at Wembley on Tuesday night.
‘It wasn’t long ago I won the Golden Boot and I was the best thing in the world’