Don’t panic! Kane sends message to angry fans
Skipper is right behind the beleaguered England boss
Harry Kane has told England supporters there is no need to panic over the slump in results ahead of the World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s side have not won in their last five competitive matches, and were relegated from League A of the Nations League in Italy on Friday night, which saw an angry reaction from fans.
Having reached the final of Euro 2020 last summer, the drop-off in results and performances has been stark, highlighted by the fact Kane’s penalty in an away draw to Germany is the Three Lions’ only goal in five Nations League games this year.
But the Spurs striker (left) said: “We’re not panicking.
“Of course, I understand the frustration of the fans. I was an England fan and still am an England fan, whether I’m playing or not.
“If we have a successful time in Qatar, I’m not sure people will be worried about the spell we had over the summer, and that’s the bottom line.
“Any fans in the world want to be winning games and having things their way all the time, but sometimes that’s not football.”
Under-fire Gareth Southgate remains convinced he is the right man to lead England into the World Cup and confident that the team will click in Qatar.
Having reached the semi-finals in Russia four years ago and finished runners-up at last summer’s European Championship, the Three Lions are among the favourites to lift the trophy this winter.
But things have gone awry at just the wrong time for England, who suffered the ignominy of relegation from the Nations League top tier with a game to spare following Friday’s 1-0 loss in Italy.
Southgate was booed by some of the travelling support at the San Siro after a fifth winless match, which ratchets up pressure and scrutiny with the World Cup opener against Iran looming large on November 21.
“Look, I think that’s currently where it is and I have to accept that,” he said of the negative vibe as Qatar approaches.
“I think I’m the right person to take the team into the tournament. I think it’s more stable that way, without a doubt.
“I don’t think tonight’s performance was far off and I know that’s going to get derision just because we’re on the back of a run of defeats.
“But I’ve got to separate the summer and the circumstances around the summer from tonight.”
Asked if he remains confident that England will click when the finals come around, Southgate said: “Yeah, without a doubt.
“We’re playing and have been playing some top level sides and we will be better for that.
“And the younger players, in particular, that have been in these games will have learned a lot from them.
“In the past we’ve had runs of friendlies or whatever the matches are and then we’ve gone into tournaments and that’s the first time we’ve hit high-level opposition and it’s hit us in the face quite often.
“Now we know the level, now we know what we’ve got to improve and we’ll be better placed for that by having had the quality of matches that we’ve had.”
This is Southgate’s toughest spell as England manager, with adulation from the stands replaced by audible fan frustration.
“Look, I’ve seen every other England manager have it,” he said of the criticism.
“I wasn’t and never have been carried away by praise. I know how the game is and it turns so quickly. And in the end, you’re judged on results.”
Southgate feels capable of handling that scrutiny having “been through pretty much everything”, including missing the key penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final
The former defender came back from that and now he believes is a time for resilience from a group he does not believe are being weighed down by the shirt – something that has been an issue in the past.
“I think the players are free to play,” Southgate said.
“I think inevitably when you’re having a run where you’re not winning… and, I repeat, I have to separate the summer from this.
“The summer created pressure but we weren’t fielding our strongest team and they weren’t in good physical condition.
“We always have felt that one of the keys with England is you have to keep winning matches to keep the pressure off, which allows things to happen.
“Unfortunately, the scenario in the summer created pressure.
“Of course tonight is going to add to the noise around that but it’s for me to deal with that.
“I’m the leader of the group and it’s for me to keep them on track.”
Now attention turns to tomorrow’s Wembley clash against Germany – the final match before a World Cup that Kalvin Phillips could miss.
Southgate acknowledges England have a “slight lack of depth in the middle of midfield” that is now being underlined by the Manchester City player’s absence with a shoulder injury.
“There’s the recovery from surgery, which there’s an estimated time (for),” Southgate said of England’s 2020-21 men’s player of the year
“Then there’s the reality of how much football he might have and how much football he’s had in the last eight weeks so he’s of course a big doubt.”