Harry Kane: England Falls at His Feet

por ALEX DELMAS el 19 mayo, 2015 • 19:38

19th of March 2015, Raheem Sterling centres perfectly and the ball out of the blue and as if magnetized, is headed into the back of the net by Harry Kane, who scores just 80 seconds after setting foot on the pitch at the legendary Wembley Stadium. It’s his debut for England.

A move that now has thousands of englishmen dreaming of reaching the next World Cup.

Without doubt Harry Kane is the revelation of the Premier League and exaggerating only a little, of Europe. No other player like Spurs’ number 18 has had so much impact on their club. Many are those who are claiming that he should have been named best player of the Premier.

But who is Harry Kane? What does the future hold for him? Let’s analyze the player who, in just a few months, has enamoured the UK.

His story is a peculiar one. His position is not that of a pure striker, but his goal average is enviable. In fact, in some of his early matches he played in midfield, and that has added value to his football.

Let’s analyze him on a 5 basic points:

Mobility. Despite his height (1.88m) he is not the typical centre forward and is very versatile and associates well in the collective game. This makes him much more difficult to control by markers who operate better with a defined and static target. Images showing Kane (red circle) moves continuously depending on where the ball is.

Arrival. Right here is where I think is his best quality. He is always in movement when he arrives in the area. This causes defensive mismatches and means he can reach the ball a few thousands of a second before the defense (See sequence.)

Shot. One of his greatest threats. He needs very little space to get his shot in and almost none to cock his leg. He uses both legs to finish and has a real weapon in each one. This further contributes to the fact that it doesn’t matter whether he goes right or left to finish. He is also very good in the air. A player with a great repertoire in this respect. And he has what is perhaps the most important aspect of all for a scorer. That special gift to guess where the ball will fall on the rebound or after a defensive rejection.

Reading game. I was pleasantly surprised by his impressive reading of the game. Surely a basic and non-negotiable fact if he is to be one of the top scorers of the next decade. He knows how to move in search of the area where he can do more harm to the rival. Despite what one might think of his stature, he has no problem moving to the wings. He also moves to intercept the intermediate zones that are created between midfield and the offensive line. Not only that, but he is capable of receiving and rotating in these areas to address the last line of defense. His history in other positions helps him with that. So we are looking at a great reader of the game in a match, as I said above, I think it is a basic and essential feature in the great strikers.

Defensive work. He is also a committed defensive player. He is the first to put pressure on the opposing team and he often to the aid of the midfield line. His involvement is high and Tottenham has thanked him in defense throughout the year. No doubt his great physical abilities contribute to his performance in this area.

In this sequence of a match many of Harry Kane’s the qualities we have discussed are summarized:

So who does the future hold for him? This season presents some spectacular numbers but an exception in his still short career. His game is not like what his body language says. But sudden hatchings and misleading body language has always been and will always be. Kane could be the next.

Things are going well for him, but in my opinion, we have to wait a while to confirm if confidence is giving him good luck or if he really is his own master. I have no doubt he will be one of the reference players in English football in the coming years. He shows promise although it is too early to determine whether he will be the great striker of the next decade.

What is certain is that today and at his age, he has achieved something only by getting chosen: a whole country dreaming of something big. Harry Kane has England at his feet!

* Álex Delmàs es exfutbolista y analista.

Follow @alexdelmas10

– Foto: Reuters