24 touches and one shot: Harry Kane’s quiet night for England
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During the first half of the match in Gelsenkirchen, Harry Kane appeared to be mimicking Erling Haaland's playing style. However, this wasn't in terms of scoring goals, but rather in standing on the outskirts and waiting for the perfect opportunity. As Haaland has successfully mastered the skill of delivering consistent performances with exceptional precision since joining Manchester City with minimal touches, England's team seems to have a comparable tactic in mind for their leader.
If Kane only made a total of 24 touches throughout England's Euro 2024 opener against Serbia, with only two of them being in the first half, then it's natural to question why the tournament's main goal scorer was left isolated. During the game, Kane remained almost invisible and was barely involved in the action. Despite this, England managed to cling onto a 1-0 victory over Serbia, even though Kane had the lowest amount of touches and passes out of all the players in the starting line-up (he only completed nine out of 12 attempts). However, this may not necessarily be a negative thing.
Kane isn't just a great scorer for England; he's a special type of forward who has the indispensable traits of a striker, while also displaying a No. 10's instinct for creativity. He's shown his unique abilities both with Tottenham and more recently, at Bayern Munich in Germany, and he's also excelled with England's team. What makes Kane stand out is his ability to do more than just score goals; he can also drop back and find pockets of space that aren't being covered by the opponent before laying off precise passes to speedy wingers who can break through the defense. Kane has become so good at this hybrid style of play that it almost feels like he's playing a new position—the 9.5.
However, when playing against Serbia, Kane played the role of a true No 9. He stayed at the front of England's attack, facing off against three centre-backs from Serbia, and didn't move from his position. During the first half in Gelsenkirchen, while Jude Bellingham took charge for England, leading in touches, tackles, and goals, Kane seemed to be inactive. Although the first half showed why England is one of the top contenders for Euro 2024, the second half of the game was difficult, and Kane didn't seem to contribute much to the team's success.
However, he actually did in a more understated manner. England now has a No 10 in Bellingham, a standout player who can propel the team forward and determine the game according to his preferences, creating his own narrative. Bellingham was the most impressive player of the game, providing confirmation to England that he has the potential to be the difference-maker at Euro 2024. If Kane had dropped back into the spaces between the lines, it would have distracted from Bellingham's performance. Is it possible for Kane and Bellingham to play together? Absolutely. However, it requires Kane to exercise restraint and maintain his position, avoiding overcrowding the midfield.
This is great news for Kane, who can now benefit from a more varied attack from the England team, marking a change from relying solely on his skills as a playmaker. Under Southgate's leadership, the team has evolved, offering more attacking options to players like Bukayo Saka, whose performance on the right-wing was exceptional. Kane's leadership and ability to maintain the team's shape have played a significant role in this. Although Phil Foden was quieter on the left-wing, he is still a strong player who will likely have his moment in the spotlight at some point. His partnership with Haaland at Manchester City exemplifies how the Premier League's player of the year can excel in spaces created by a central striker.
Southgate wasn't worried and emphasized Kane's role in easing pressure during the second half. He mentioned that they had many choices with the ball and were in complete control, so not everyone needed to be completely involved in the game. Southgate was impressed with Kane's performance in the second half, where he held the ball multiple times, won fouls, and took the pressure off the defence. He thought it was outstanding. The first half was slower, but that was just how the game went.
Southgate brought up the concern of England's intricate preparation that went wrong when they couldn't maintain control during the latter part of the game. Kane is among the players in the squad who haven't fully regained their fitness after the club season ended. Due to a back injury he sustained in Bayern Munich's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, he wasn't able to participate in the final two rounds of the Bundesliga. And for England's warm-up friendlies in preparation for Euro 2024, he was only able to play for a mere 29 minutes against Bosnia and 63 minutes against Iceland.
If England captain, Kane had managed to score his back-post header late on against Serbia, things would have been very different. Unfortunately, goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic made a fantastic save and tipped the ball onto the crossbar. However, Kane's performance would have remained unchanged. This scenario is an example of the Haaland binary complex, where performances are simplified into just two categories - scoring or not scoring. Even though Kane didn't score, it doesn't mean he didn't perform well. It's likely he will score in the future.
