Scathing criticism

“He’s lazy, he’s annoying”: Englishman angry with Kane

Harry Kane's performances at the European Championship have been rather disappointing so far.

(Bild: AFP/APA/OZAN KOSE)

Scathing criticism of Harry Kane! England's goalscorer has yet to impress at the European Championships, which is why the English press and former internationals are now settling accounts with him. Kane is not fit, "lazy" and "annoying".

Despite reaching the semi-finals, there is one negative aspect of the England squad. Harry Kane has so far fallen short of expectations. Despite scoring two goals in the tournament, he is not a factor in the English game. On the way to their first major triumph since the World Cup title 58 years ago, one question in particular arises: will an out-of-form Kane help this team - or is he more of a detriment? "He might not be in the flow, but he still plays an immense role for the group," said national coach Gareth Southgate in defense of his leading player.

Captain replaced
The last two knockout games showed just how much the monument to Kane is shaking these days: Substitution in the win after extra time against Slovakia. He was substituted in the penalty shoot-out win against Switzerland when he dragged himself off the pitch with cramp. He then watched from the bench as all the scorers held their nerve. A situation that seemed unthinkable at previous tournaments. 

His performance was subsequently condemned in the domestic media. Kane was categorized as a "loser" and described as "immobile". 

"He's lazy, he annoys me"
Former England international and Premier League professional Jamie O'Hara went one step further and drew a comparison with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. "He doesn't look fit, he's lazy, he really annoys me. I'm worried that we've got a Ronaldo in the team and we have to let him play," he told talkSPORT.

Kane himself is quite relaxed about the criticism. "We're in the semi-finals, so I think we're doing pretty well. We really have that belief that we can do something special," he said. Especially as Kane was quick to give the all-clear after being substituted in the quarter-final. "I'm fine, I was just tired. I had a bit of cramp, tripped over a few water bottles and both calves were cramping," the striker reported.

Poor passing rate, very few touches of the ball
The Bayern goalscorer had already said earlier in the tournament that he was at 100 percent. Anyone who sees Kane play in the tournament doubts that. The player, who is usually so strong in terms of play and passing, often hangs in the air. The Guardian broke down the statistics on Monday to get a detailed picture of his performance. The result: poor passing rate, very few touches of the ball. While the other attacking players Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden received a total of 300 passes over the five games at the European Championship, Kane didn't even receive 100.

Harry Kane

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

But even if he is not convincing on the pitch, Kane is undisputed as a collegiate leader and defends his teammates against criticism from outside. This was also the case at this European Championship, when the pundits rumbled early on and national icon Gary Lineker described England's performance as "shit". Kane replied: "I don't want to be disrespectful to any player, let alone a deserving one. We haven't won anything for a long time. These players have been part of that. They know how tough it is in these tournaments."

For Kane, the story could actually be reversed in a very strange way these days in his adopted country. Throughout his career, the striker has scored goal after goal, setting new records - only to end up without any silverware. Even perennial champions FC Bayern were suddenly replaced as national champions by Bayer Leverkusen in the past season. And this despite the fact that Kane scored 36 Bundesliga goals in his first season. This time, despite all doubts and doubters, the English are very close to the trophy.

And on Wednesday in the European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund (21:00 in the sportkrone.at ticker), Kane will have the opportunity to silence his critics.