Is Harry Kane the answer to England's striking woes?
In every class, we have that student who has all the material for the exams yet flunks it poorly. In International football, we have the English National football team. This ignominy has been associated with the English National Football team as they continue to falter when it matters the most. They seem to have all the resources of a title winning team but fall short drastically when it comes to the big stage.
This is often due to the fact that England have never had a striker who performed for them consistently. They have had goal scorers who have performed exceedingly well domestically – Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, but the International stage has been a whole new different proposition for them.
'Wonder Kid' is a word that is used a lot by the English tabloids. Raheem Sterling? Wonder Kid. Ross Barkley? Wonder Kid. Ravel Morrison? Wonder Kid.
Harry Kane, the latest addition to the wonder kid list, has had a stellar season with his club Tottenham Hotspurs and is on his way to becoming the 'next big thing' for England. Having netted over 25 goals for the team from White Hart Lane, Kane has been adding a new leash of life to the Spurs lineup.
He has provided nightmares even for the best of defenders. Ask John Terry and he'd tell you about the prowess of this 'Wonder Kid.' Many a time has a 'Wonder Kid' left the world of football as soon as he entered it and let's just hope that Kane isn't one to follow them.
Wayne Rooney has been heading the striking department for the English team for quite a while now and it looks as though he needs someone else to slowly take the responsibility. Although England have a plethora of strikers who have had quality experience on the global stage - Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Gabriel Agbonglahor, it looks as though the boy from Chingford, London is the one who is going to take over from Rooney.
The question now is: Is Harry Kane the answer to England's striking woes?
England have been the perennially underachieving team and this year is no different. In their last 15 matches, they've won 9. You'd think that that's not a bad record for a team but when we see that the teams they've won against are mostly second world with regard to football and the ones which they have drawn or lost to are in the top tier, it's disappointing to say the least.
Hailed as a Messiah for England, the country's hopes now seem to be rested on Harry Kane. Will this be too much for a person who is just 21?
The rigours of International Football are for one much different from club football as the individual plays with the same set of individuals in a club day in and day out. And to put the expectations of a country on a lad who's not yet played the best of defenders surely adds a lot of pressure, right? And we all saw how difficult Kane found it going against the likes of Georgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
England's form is poor. To think that England used Phil Jones as a central defensive midfielder against Italy is baffling. The fact that he isn't a regular for club but country amazes me and more so due to the position he occupied when stalwarts such as Michael Carrick are fit and present.
This wasn't the only decision that raised many eyebrows. Charlie Austin has been the only bright spot for a rather poor QPR this season and he has certainly been better than a Theo Walcott who has just come off injury. Yet, Roy Hodgson chose Theo Walcott over the forward from Loftus Road.
Selections apart, there are a few more reasons as to why Harry Kane isn't, at least for now, the answer to England's striking woes.
Firstly, Kane is someone who would hold up play upfront and isn't someone who would be most excited about a counter attack. Rather, he'd prefer the process of building an attack and catching the defenders off guard - something that he has been doing ever so well at Spurs this season. A prime example would be the headed goal against Arsenal where he out jumped Laurent Koscielny to net home the winner against fierce rivals Arsenal.
Secondly, for a striker to do his job, the others need to perform. England and their players performing don't go together in a sentence. That says it all, doesn't it?
Also, we must understand that Harry Kane isn't someone like Lionel Messi who can win matches single-handedly. He needs people around him. The English team doesn't offer him that.
Harry Kane is by no means England's answer to an out and out striker. He hasn't had the exposure one needs nor has he been tested by the best of players. This clearly states that Kane still has a long way to go until he becomes the answer to England's striking issues.
Harry Kane has garnered huge praise for his showings this season for Spurs. The whole of England hopes he does the same for their national team. Well, only time can tell whether it is just another dream or a reality.
Until then, Cheers.