Harry Kane (R) of England looks on during the Group B match between Wales and England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
Rather than continually leading the frontline, England captain Harry Kane now drops deep, participating in the build-up play and creating space for teammates.
DOHA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- England have seen a different version of captain Harry Kane so far in the World Cup, but if they are to progress into the quarterfinals and beyond, the striker may have to re-invent himself yet again.
Kane travelled to the World Cup with 51 goals for his team, just two behind all time record goal scorer, Wayne Rooney. It was expected that he would get even closer, or perhaps even overtake Rooney in Qatar, but so far, the striker hasn't scored.
He had a last-minute header go wide against the USA and a shot blocked against Iran, but so far chances have been few for such a prolific player.
One of the reasons for this is that Kane has altered his role for England: rather than continually leading the line, he now drops deep, participating in the build-up play and trying to pull his marker out of position, and creating space for someone such as Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden or Marcus Rashford to run into.
So far it has worked reasonably well for England, with a 6-2 win and a 3-0 victory over Wales in the group stage. Kane has assisted directly in three of those goals, setting up Saka and Raheem Sterling to score against Iran and giving a wonderful low cross for Foden to make it 2-0 against Wales.
But even in those matches, there have been times when England have lacked a focal point in their attack.
The effects of Kane's change in style is clear to see: on his statistics he has played in 11 games for his team in 2022, but has only scored three times, with all of those goals coming from the penalty spot. That means he has not scored in open play for England for over a year.
The good news for England is that in many ways, the shift in tactics has worked, with six different players scoring in their first three games.
All of those players have the pace and movement partly due to the space that Kane has created and coach Gareth Southgate is pleased at seeing such a variety of scorers.
"You need goals from all areas. It is a competition for places and people have to deliver," he said after England's 3-0 victory over Wales.
No doubt Southgate will be delighted if the goals continue to arrive, but with England certain to face tougher rivals in the coming days, he and England fans everywhere would be delighted to see their captain find the back of the net again. ■
