The Harry Kane dilemma Thomas Tuchel faces ahead of the World Cup

Independent

5 hours ago

Harry Kane was already in his thirties, albeit by less than two weeks, when Thomas Tuchel agreed to pay €100m for him. Bayern Munich have since seen a return in the form of 82 goals in two seasons and if Tuchel need not worry how much resale value the striker has, he only needs to concern himself if Kane can keep going until a World Cup that ends just before his 33rd birthday.
The England captain has looked far further into the future, however. An admirer of Tom Brady, Kane has spoken of a desire to play into his forties. He admires Cristiano Ronaldo for his longevity and, at the age of 40, the Portugal captain has scored in both the Nations League semi-final and final in the last week. Can Kane follow in his footsteps? Tuchel believes it will not be easy. Ronaldo is an anomaly in many respects. His age is one of them.
Tuchel said: 'I think it gets more and more difficult nowadays. Cristiano took a step into a not-as competitive a league as [the] Premier League or Spain as part of keeping his performance up. I think he is always the exception to the rule. We cannot go now from Cristiano Ronaldo and think everyone can play until 39 and 40 in today's game. Harry has this natural ability to score goals. There are at the moment no signs he cannot do it at a high level. How long he can do it, I have not a crystal ball, [so] let's see. He is in a club where they play dominant football, I think that can suit him. Just the outlook until the World Cup, he knows that it is a crucial year for him, also in terms of fitness and being ready to compete in the heat, in the humidity.'
It is a matter of more than just the attitude that means Kane wants to play every game. Tuchel has acceded to his wishes and said it is 'likely' that he starts against Senegal on Tuesday, though he played against Andorra on Saturday. 'He scored his 450th [career] goal in this match. It was a very decisive goal, a very important one,' noted Tuchel. Calling a goal against Andorra decisive and important reflected the reality that no one else scored any – it was a 1-0 win.
And that, in turn, was an indication that Tuchel's appointment alone was not a quick fix to the problem of England looking less than the sum of their considerable parts and struggling to accommodate the various creators who all want to gravitate towards the middle. Cole Palmer started against Andorra. So far, however, one of only four Englishmen to score in the final of a major international tournament has had a greater impact for his country as a substitute than a starter. Right now, too, he isn't really Tuchel's idea of a winger.
'If we want to have players in, and we don't have enough No 10 positions, we could have Cole play on the wing and play then more inside,' he said. 'But at the moment, we decide to have the wingers high and aggressive and wide, where they have their biggest strength. Everything is a big learning.'
If one lesson is that England rarely have the Palmer of Chelsea or the Phil Foden of Manchester City, Tuchel had a point when he argued their clubs haven't seen that much of late either. Palmer delivered a star turn in the Conference League final but only has one goal in his last 23 games.
Tuchel nevertheless accepts the broader issue. 'That's the question that needs to be answered,' he said. 'It is a fair question. I think that even Cole struggled lately at Chelsea to have an impact. Phil, unfortunately, struggled over many months now to have the impact that he can have.'
Part of the puzzle for Tuchel involves personnel. Bukayo Saka is set to feature for the first time in his reign against Senegal – another reason not to pick Palmer off the right – and there is a quest for chemistry.
'It's on us, it's on me to find the right balance, to find the right connections, like who loves to play with each other, who has a genuine connection, who takes care of each other,' he reflected. 'We need to improve in connections, in support, in interactions in the group. I feel we are too isolated on the pitch. We have not clicked yet. I don't see it has clicked between the players.'
That could be part tactical, part mental. 'We can do better,' Tuchel added. 'We can do more fluid. We can be more exciting, which since a longer time I feel has been a bit of a problem. I feel a bit stuck.'
Gareth Southgate could probably empathise. It is not as simple, however, as liberating footballers with one word. 'It's difficult to prescribe freedom, to play with freedom and suddenly everyone plays with freedom,' Tuchel said.
The England shirt can hang heavy on players. 'Like a heavy shirt?' mused Tuchel. 'Do we expect too much? Don't we feel the freedom? Do we not feel the same freedom to express ourselves that we feel like in the clubs? Does Phil feel free in his club? Is he really free in his club to express himself? Not since many months. He struggles also there.'
Free or not, Foden isn't in the squad to face Senegal. But many another flair player is and so far Tuchel's reign has brought six goals: one from an attacking midfielder, in Eberechi Eze, but two from defenders and three from Kane. A reliance on the captain is nothing new. He has 72 international goals, the rest of the squad 40 between them. It may not be Tuchel's problem but his successor might hope Kane shows the staying power of Ronaldo.