Just Way Too Much? – Harry Kane’s Performances For England Are Over-Hyped!
Harry Kane is a name on the lips of a lot of football lovers of late. Regardless of whether they are fans of Tottenham, there seems to be a consensus when it comes to touting Kane as a next-level superstar. His performances for Spurs and England have been uplifting, to say the least.
Kane is seemingly invincible after breaking his August jinx. He is scoring goals left, right and centre. While all that is truly incredible, is it possible that his influence for England is being over-hyped?
England have produced some of the finest strikers in the past. Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are the names which immediately pop to the mind. While several football fans think Kane is already a part of that list, let’s take a look at why his performances could be hyped.
Since forever, England have struggled to make things work as a team in international tournaments. It is mysterious, but no matter how talented the squad is, England simply cannot make a strong impact. Now, here comes Harry Kane with his swashbuckling goal-scoring style, which goes on to provide hope for the fans. It almost makes them feel like he is the responsible and the dependable one – a player that will come through even in the most trying situations.
However, they fail to realise that Kane hasn’t really been challenged much in his performances for England yet. His true test will come in the FIFA World Cup next year in Russia. As a player, he is undoubtedly one of the best England have ever produced but that is not enough in a tournament as demanding as the World Cup.
The £200m rated Tottenham star is England’s top scorer in World Cup qualifying matches despite playing just 6 matches. This not only shows the team’s over-dependence on him but also highlights how he is still being known as simply a goal-scorer. His goals certainly help but the newly-appointed English captain will have an uphill task next year.
To make it to the list of the legends, Kane needs to take England forward in the tournament, for which he needs to hone his captaincy skills as well. Moreover, the player almost struggled to take a penalty in England’s recent encounter against Lithuania – a team ranked 120th at present.
If Kane cannot penetrate Lithuania’s rear guard convincingly enough, how will he tackle the likes of Italy, Spain and Germany next year? What England need is a player who can comfortably put three goals past the likes of Lithuania, without struggling during a penalty.
Consider Germany or Spain, for example. Both teams have won by goal margins of 4 or 5 against smaller teams. That is what defines true excellence and that does not hold true for Harry Kane at the moment. For Tottenham, he is definitely a key player but for England? Only time will tell.
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