Spurs have been short of a playmaker ever since Christian Eriksen’s departure to Inter Milan around 18 months ago, and while Giovani Lo Celso was bought to be the team’s prime creator, he hasn’t yet shown that side to his game at the club.
As we agonisingly missed out on the signings of Paulo Dybala, Bruno Fernandes and Philippe Coutinho to name a few, Harry Kane has been made to evolve as a player into not just a goalscoring machine, but a creator.
After setting up the most goals in the Premier League and scoring the most as well, many of us Spurs fans were slightly expecting him to have to drop deeper for England at the Euros, particularly as the squad lacks an Eriksen-type of player who’s main job is to create Kane chances.
🤍 You did your nation proud, @HKane. pic.twitter.com/h6XD89HaBd
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 11, 2021
With Phil Foden and Jack Grealish not used as much as many of us would have hoped, Gareth Southgate opted for more pace and directness in Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka at times – which worked in nearly every game we played, leaving the England captain to occupy spaces and expertly draw away defenders so the quicker players around him could pierce the backline.
Mason Mount is a player who has a very high ceiling, but he was a player who was preferred in the majority of games to someone like Jadon Sancho who without a doubt would have been a far better choice just to create chances which Kane could finish.
"It hurts now. It's going to hurt for a long time. But the boys should be proud."
Well said, @HKane.
📹 @UEFA pic.twitter.com/iWSN0SAHb2
— England (@England) July 11, 2021
Last night in the Final, with Mount and Sterling on the pitch for the majority of the match, the best creators on the pitch were quite clearly Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier and Kane – but at least the Manchester City man did cause the backline problems.
The reality is, the striker is obviously the best scapegoat for rival fans who seem to be driving this theory that Kane didn’t even show up – but if Mount did his job in terrorising the Italian defence like Kane did for the first half an hour with exquisite passing and vision to find the overlapping full-backs, the England captain could have played far more advanced.
I don’t know where and I don’t know when but Harry Kane your time will come 💙 pic.twitter.com/xgcgcvBPeX
— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) July 11, 2021
Shaw’s second minute goal came from an inch-perfect cross-field pass from Kane to get the team moving up the pitch at speed, and one pass later the ball was in the back of the net.
Unfortunately after that half-hour, England struggled to retain possession due to the Italian high-press, and Kane did look isolated up front with no-one near him combined with exemplary defence from two of this generation’s greatest – Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
To anyone that can read the game, Kane needs to be on the pitch because he only needs one chance, but you can’t keep expecting him to occupy the space in-between the two as they so often sandwiched him and crowded him out – he NEEDED to be deeper so the smaller, more agile and lightning quick Sterling could take a more direct approach – which troubled the two experienced defenders at times, as it did when Saka came on.
Luke Shaw. The fastest ever goal in a European Championship Final. England are in dreamland… 😍
📹 @itvfootball #ENGITA #ENG pic.twitter.com/K5kSLnRB9Z
— BettingOdds (@BettingOddsUK) July 11, 2021
Of course England fans will scapegoat their rivals’ star, but the truth is that the team’s prime creator should never have to be the striker – but if the likes of Mount cannot step-up to the plate and create those chances then of course Kane will struggle because he cant do everything on his own.
Next year at the World Cup, fully expect Foden to have a more important role in the squad, but I also expect Mount to bounce back and prove his playmaking credentials on the big stage like he has at Chelsea.