Something wrong with Kane: Five things learned as England lose 2-1 to Spain

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Despite taking the lead, England lost their opening UEFA Nations League game 1-2 to Spain.

Gareth Southgate’s men started brightly but Spain probed their weaknesses, coming from behind to take a lead which they held despite England’s stoppage time equaliser being bizarrely ruled out.

Luke Shaw’s injury after colliding with Dani Carvajal was tremendously unfortunate for a player so in form; hopefully he’s not seriously hurt and can return to action as soon as possible.

But what did we learn from the game?

1. Rashford can be England’s hitman

Marcus Rashford finally got a start for England in attack, and he absolutely showed what he is capable of. It wasn’t a perfect performance, on a better day he would have bagged a match-winning hat-trick, but he showed what he offers the side when picked.

Rashford was England’s main attacking presence (more on that later) and his movement, pace and skill saw him end up with three great chances. What he offers is something no one else can; a genuine threat in behind. Raheem Sterling can make those runs on long balls but his primary instinct is never going to be like Rashford’s, whose intent is always to get a clear look at goal.

He needs more games up-front to find his rhythm, because if he was truly in the zone it’s unlikely he would have shot straight at De Gea when he got through in the second half; or headed so tamely at De Gea in the first. The calmness to slot home when played through by Luke Shaw showed just what kind of cutting edge he can add to the England side.

2. England need a defensive midfielder

At the World Cup, England’s only major weakness at the tournament was Jordan Henderson at defensive midfield. Tonight, both of Spain’s goals can be attributed to one thing; Jordan Henderson at defensive midfield. It’s not that Henderson is a bad player, it’s that he’s not a defensive midfielder and against elite opposite this often shows.

Henderson couldn’t really cope with Spain’s midfield once they got going, then more crucially failed to keep track of Saúl for Spain’s equaliser and missed his near-post header for Rodrigo’s winner. For Liverpool he is in a high-energy system surrounded by other workhorses, so it’s not exposed as much, but for England he anchors behind Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard. Those two are hard-working, but they’re nothing like Naby Keita, James Milner or Gini Wijnaldum. Gareth Southgate will be hoping Nathaniel Chalobah or Harry Winks develops pretty quickly so he has genuine alternatives to Henderson.

3. Luis Enrique’s personality shines through

When Luis Enrique took over Spain, for the first time since 2007 there was a genuine sense of a new era. No Andrés Iniesta, Gerard Piqué or David Silva and just two Barcelona players in the squad for the first time in a decade marked a true shift away from their golden era. In many ways Luis Enrique is the ideal choice to shepherd this period as he did something similar at Barcelona.

What Lucho did at the Camp Nou as the side had to move away from Xavi was focus more on fitness and attitude, two things Spain have lacked for a long, long while. Here tonight after England took the lead the Spain players kept focused and, if anything, got better. They clawed a goal back immediately and then set about dominating the game.

Once Spain took the lead they weren’t shy about defending through defending (as opposed to defending through possession as they did for years). Moreover, Luis Enrique’s coaching saw Claudio Bravo turn into a world-class goalkeeper and for perhaps the first time in a Spain shirt tonight we saw the real David De Gea, as the Manchester United man produced a litany of top saves to ensure Spain’s victory.

This game was almost vintage Lucho and he’s only had the players for a week. The future is bright for Spain.

4. There’s something wrong with Harry Kane

We need to talk about Harry.

The big problem with making star strikers the captain is it makes it basically impossible to sub them off or rest them if they’re underperforming, and this is now the problem Gareth Southgate has had since the World Cup quarter-finals.

Kane clearly picked up a knock midway through the round of 16 against Colombia and he simply hasn’t looked the same since. Whether he’s playing through pain or the injury exacerbated the fatigue he must be feeling after so many years of continuously having to carry Spurs with his goals and now having to do the same with England too, who knows. But he don’t look right.

Kane’s movement is limited (it was never great to begin with) and despite wearing no. 9 he keeps dropping deep to be the link man, which isn’t ideal in a game where Lingard and Dele aren’t streaking beyond him (which they can’t against good teams). This isolated Rashford and meant that England’s attacks were too one-dimensional. It’s almost to the point where the side would be better with Danny Welbeck or Raheem Sterling in attack with Rashford, because Kane is honestly offering nothing.

5. England have the attitude, but not the application

There’s no doubt that Gareth Southgate’s England are hard to beat. They’re a tough group of lads who refuse to lay down and be beaten. They fight back in a way that makes one proud; they play with a verve and excitement that can only be admired. But there are clear skill gaps that need to be filled in if the side is going to progress.

Obviously the issues with Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson have to be addressed, but even so there is still a problem in the way the side builds attacks. Obviously both wing-backs are terrific at what they do, but when they are almost the sole creative avenue then England become predictable.

The problem is neither Jesse Lingard nor Dele Alli is comfortable as an on-ball playmaker. They can be alright, but they thrive off-the-ball. Lingard as an energiser, facilitating great play all around him; and Dele as a goalscorer. What England need is a midfielder who can carry the ball and play a pass. That, like The Dude’s rug, would really tie things together and allow England’s attitude to amplify their application.

The post Something wrong with Kane: Five things learned as England lose 2-1 to Spain appeared first on Squawka News.



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