"Everyone's dropping below their levels a little bit" - Harry Kane explains why England are struggling after Denmark draw at EURO 2024
England captain Harry Kane has explained the reasons for his side's floundering performances at EURO 2024 after the Three Lions eked out a 1-1 draw against Denmark on June 20. The forward said that they were facing troubles on and off the ball, and that every member of the squad was below-par in terms of effort and determination.
The 30-year-old scored his first goal of EURO 2024 in the 18th minute of the game. However, Denmark went on to dominate thereafter, having more shots and more possession, and were duly rewarded when Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand netted a stunner in the 34th minute.
Speaking to BBC after the game, the Bayern Munich marksman said (via GOAL):
"I think we're struggling both with and without the ball. I think the pressure in both games hasn't been right and with the ball hasn't been good enough. Everyone's dropping below their levels a little bit. It was tough out there, but we're calm. It wasn't our greatest game but we got away with a point."
England manager Gareth Southgate has also been criticized for going on the defensive after scoring an early goal in both games so far. Kane noted that his side needed to learn how to maintain the pressure after the early offensive outburst, adding:
"I think it's something we've got to get better at. I think we're starting games well but when the teams are dropping deeper we're not quite sure how to get the pressure on and who's going. In the second half we tried to change a little bit but it was difficult. Credit to Denmark, they caused us some threats. Overall we've got to look back and see where we can improve."
"We needed to get speed" - England manager Gareth Southgate explains why Harry Kane was substituted in 1-1 draw vs Denmark
England manager Gareth Southgate explained why star striker Harry Kane was substituted in his side's 1-1 draw against Denmark in their second game of EURO 2024.
Despite playing the full 90 minutes in England's 1-0 win over Serbia on June 17, Kane was rendered ineffective for large parts of the game. Although he bagged a goal against Denmark, he had only 22 touches of the ball in 70 minutes before being taken off for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins.
Speaking to reporters at a post-match press conference, Southgate said (via ESPN):
"Harry has only had one 90 minutes in the last five or six weeks. We could have stayed with it, but we thought we needed to get speed in the front line at that moment to get energy to be able to press was important."
Up next, England take on Slovenia on June 25 at the RheinEnergieStadion in Koln, with a draw being enough to secure qualification into the knockouts.