Tottenham and England will benefit if jaded Harry Kane gets much-needed rest against Switzerland

Jaded: Harry Kane was far from his best against Spain
REUTERS
Tony Evans10 September 2018

The shirt may not be too heavy for Harry Kane but the workload might prove to be too much of a burden. Despite winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup, the England captain appeared jaded in Russia.

Against Spain on Saturday, Kane was far from his best. When the talismanic striker is not on the pitch, Gareth Southgate’s side look short of firepower. The same is true with Tottenham. The England manager must rest the 25-year-old on Tuesday against Switzerland. It would be unfair to player and club — and counterproductive to the national team — to start Kane in a friendly match.

Spurs need their main goalscorer to be on top form on Saturday, when they host Liverpool at Wembley. It is early in the campaign, but this is the sort of game where both sides would like to lay down a marker.

These are the two clubs most likely to apply pressure on Manchester City in the title race.

In Russia, Kane developed a habit of dropping deep into the midfield whenever England began to show signs of losing their grip on a game. This was particularly obvious against Colombia and Belgium.

At times, he was operating as an auxiliary midfielder. Disturbingly, the Spurs striker drifted back towards the centre circle in a similar manner during his team’s 2-1 defeat by Watford.

This commitment to the cause is admirable but it is a waste of energy by the team’s most potent threat.

Kane has played a lot of football over the past few seasons. He has spent three of the past four summers on international duty with the Under-21s and the senior side. The extra matches are punishing enough, but few observers take into account the effects of travel and training-camp life at a time when a player could be relaxing at home or on holiday.

The problem has been exacerbated by the way Southgate sets up the national side. Dele Alli, so often a foil for Kane at Tottenham, sits much deeper and does not get forward with the same abandon as he does in the Premier League. The England manager and his young team are still learning. This process will continue, but Southgate has a clear template of how to link his captain and Alli, courtesy of Mauricio Pochettino.

In Pictures | England vs Spain | 08/09/18

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In the corresponding League fixture against Liverpool last season, Spurs tore Jurgen Klopp’s team apart in a 4-1 rout. It was one of the high spots in Tottenham’s campaign. Kane, Alli and Kieran Trippier — the three Spurs players who started for England against Spain — were prominent in shredding Klopp’s defence 11 months ago. Their pace and movement left Dejan Lovren a seemingly broken man as the Croat was withdrawn from the action just after the half-hour mark. If Southgate can replicate that sort of display from his Tottenham core, then England can exceed their performance in Russia.

Liverpool’s defence will be much more difficult to break down on Saturday. The addition of Virgil van Dijk in January gave Klopp a much more formidable back line, and the knock-on effect of the Dutchman’s vocal leadership style has been the improvement of Joe Gomez. The Tottenham contingent have had a chance to observe the 21-year-old at close quarters in England training this week. The comparisons to Bobby Moore are ludicrously overblown, but Gomez could well be a long-term fixture for club and country. Spurs will need to be significantly sharper this season if they are going to create as many chances against Liverpool as they did last October.

Time for a break? Kane has been on international duty in three of the last four summers
AFP/Getty Images

It is worth Southgate giving Kane a break on Tuesday, not just for Tottenham’s sake but it makes sense for England. The 48-year-old needs to find another source of goals. His options are limited, but things will get significantly worse if Kane runs out of steam or suffers an injury. It is best to work on a Plan B now.

The blueprint for the England captain should be simple: get him in and around the opposition box, keep him there, let others do the legwork in midfield and get runners forward to support him. And only use the striker when it is necessary. If ever a man needed a night or two off, it is Kane.

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