On this day 11 years ago, Harry Kane made his England debut against Lithuania, coming on as a substitute for Wayne Rooney at Wembley. Eighty seconds later he drove off to celebrate scoring his first England goal.
Kane has since become England’s all-time top scorer with 78 goals and remained England’s most important player for a decade. Many feel that unless he is fit and active, England will not be able to win the World Cup.
However, manager Thomas Tuchel must prepare for the nightmare scenario of Kane missing out. Injuries, suspensions, heatstroke, these are all possible reasons why Kane could be KO’d.
So what’s plan B at the top? Who is Kane’s natural replacement? Both Dominics’ chance came during Friday’s match between Wembley and Uruguay, England’s penultimate friendly before the England manager decides on his World Cup squad.
“It’s important that they understand that going into camp without Harry is a big opportunity,” Tuchel said of Solanke and Calvert-Lewin. “It’s about competing for a real starting spot and getting quality minutes.
“Harry is Harry, our captain. He’s a starter for us. The question is, if we’re looking for results, do we really leave Harry out? When do we get a chance to replace Harry? Or do we look for someone who can play alongside Harry? Or do we look for someone who is a good penalty taker? Those are the questions we have to answer.”
The hard truth is that Kane will turn 33 two weeks after the World Cup final and his workload with Bayern Munich in the lead-up to the tournament means he will definitely not be able to play 90 minutes in eight games that could be played in North American heat and humidity.
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England and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden surprised his team-mates with a 180 off the dartboard. Video credit: @England
Tuchel knows he must protect his precious assets at all costs, as evidenced by the fact that he, along with 10 other influential players, gave him a further five days of rest this week.
Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Jarrod Bowen can all do well in Kane’s absence as a number nine, but Tuchel has made it clear he wants another natural striker in his tournament squad. When I asked him in November if he might take Kane alone to the World Cup as his specialist striker, he said pretty firmly that it was doubtful. Because I don’t think my team has the right “balance.”
Manager Tuchel appears to have narrowed his list of candidates to three players: Ollie Watkins, Solanke and Calvert-Lewin.
Watkins has been left out of the squad due to a collapse in confidence, which has resulted in him scoring just two goals in the Premier League since January 3. However, he has credibility and has played a key role on a number of occasions for England, most notably in the late winner against the Netherlands in the Euro semi-finals two summers ago.
Solanke has not played for his country since Lee Carsley took over as interim manager. His season has been plagued by injuries, but six goals in 17 games in all competitions is not too bad considering Tottenham’s dismal form.
Calvert-Lewin’s exile in Britain became even longer. He has not featured for his country since coming off the bench for Kane in the Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine. His 10 goals in 27 games for Leeds this season shows what he can do when he is fit and playing games.
It is significant that Tuchel mentioned penalties when talking about Kane’s potential replacement. This is an important consideration not only for the 90 minutes of a World Cup match, but also for any shootouts that may occur in the final tournament.
It’s clear that Ivan Toney is not in Tuchel’s plans at the moment, so his next best penalty taker (besides Kane) isn’t even a striker. Cole Palmer’s penalty success rate is outstanding and could be a key factor in the fight against England’s other No. 10 players.
As for the three reserve strikers currently in Tuchel’s sights, there is little room to pick them from 12 yards out. And the truth is, not a single person has stepped up as a penalty specialist.
So what about their other attributes? Again, the statistics show that there is a significant drop-off when compared to captain Kane.
It’s clear that Tuchel has a problem. Perhaps his biggest problem is keeping the World Cup in mind. Kane represents England’s greatest strength, but without him he looks like England’s greatest weakness.
