England face Andorra on Friday night in World Cup qualifying. The Three Lions should score plenty, but goals may still be an issue for Thomas Tuchel
Famously, back in late 2017, Pep Guardiola referred to Tottenham Hotspur as the ‘Harry Kane team’. And to many, there is still a ‘Harry Kane team’ – only it is not Spurs, obviously. It is England.
Kane has 105 caps and 71 goals and loves a landmark. Make no mistake, he has Peter Shilton’s record number of 125 caps AND a century of international goals in his sights.
Assuming he stays fit – fingers crossed – Kane will get plenty more caps and goals under Thomas Tuchel. After all, in the season they worked together at Bayern Munich, Kane scored 44 in 45 games for Tuchel.
And considering the German coach will be gone in just over a year’s time, Tuchel has no compulsion to find a long-term successor to Kane. But if he is worth his £5million annual salary, what Tuchel does have is an obligation to identify a system and players that can be threatening and prolific in Kane’s absence.
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Below Kane’s record-breaking number, individual goal tallies of current squad members hardly leap from the page. For example, Bukayo Saka has 12 goals from 43 appearances, Jude Bellingham has six from 42, Declan Rice five from 64, Ollie Watkins five from 18, Anthony Gordon one from ten, Cole Palmer two from 11, Ivan Toney one from six, Eberechi Eze one from 10, Trent Alexander-Arnold four from 33. The absent Marcus Rashford has 17 from 62.
Recent England teams have had very few scoring issues in qualifying campaigns but despite reaching the final of Euro 2024, they were not an overly impressive attacking force in Germany, scoring only eight times in seven matches, Kane being responsible for three of those (one of which was from the penalty spot). And during that arduous slog to the defeat to Spain in Berlin, it was clear that, with Kane not operating at full power, Gareth Southgate needed an alternative system.
And despite his limited preparation time, that is what Tuchel will surely be considering in the build-up to World Cup 2026. Perhaps Tuchel will have a look back at Lee Carsley’s penultimate game as interim England manager, a 3-0 win in Greece in which Kane started on the bench.
The attacking three starting that match – Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins and Noni Madueke – are all in the squad for Saturday’s qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona and Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal at the City Ground. Assisted by Madueke, Watkins scored an early opener and missed a good chance after sprinting onto a pass behind the Greek defence – a manoeuvre we seldom see from Kane.
Carsley’s selection and game-plan in that match in Athens showed that this England team does not have to be one-dimensional. While the numbers are not fantastic, there IS goal threat from a lot of areas.
Let’s be honest here. Kane does not turn 32 until the end of next month and – again, assuming he is fighting fit – will spearhead England’s World Cup challenge next summer. No doubt about it. And so he should.
He will probably lead the Three Lions into Euro 2028. But, in an attacking sense, it is incumbent on Tuchel to find the best possible Plan B .. and C, and D. And if he is half the coach the Football Association seems to think he is, he will do just that.
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