Kane’s Observation: A Symptom of a Larger Injury Crisis in Football
The England captain has failed to back his players, but he may have kick started the much needed conversation surrounding English football’s manic schedule.
“England comes before anything and any club situation.”
The words of England’s all-time top goal scorer, captain, talisman, and Gareth Southgate’s leading disciple, Harry Kane. Like John to Jesus or General Gordan to Bruce Wayne, Kane embodies the spirit of his former leader. His comments come after nine England players withdrew from the England squad to face Greece and Ireland in the Nations League this international break.
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“Southgate brought the joy to play for England back. Every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and that’s the most important thing,” said Kane, yearning for the ‘feel good factor’ Southgate brought.
I have never attended an England press conference, never been intertwined with the England camps, but I’m sure of the ‘good vibes’ the former England manager created. Results wise, optics wise, he seemed to change the complexion.
But Kane’s comments are the opposite of the Southgatian approach which brought such regular success. Southgate staunchly defended his players at every opportunity. He was probably too defensive at times. When Harry Maguire was jeered at Hampden Park during England’s 3-1 friendly win against Scotland last September, Southgate said: “It’s a joke; an absolute joke. It makes me livid.”
So, for Kane to instead question his teammates so openly, saying that such a busy period of the Premier League season has “been taken advantage of” by players, is shortsighted and unsympathetic but in sync with the confused messaging of the Lee Carsley era.
Perhaps he could consider why so many are absent.
Bukayo Saka: leg injury (vague, admittedly). Declan Rice: broken toe. Aaron Ramsdale: fractured finger. Trent Alexander-Arnold: hamstring. Jarrad Branthwaite: groin (following an operation in the summer). So, of the nine absentees, five clearly unavailable.
And Pep Guardiola, on the fitness of Jack Grealish, was insistent he couldn’t play. He announced this in typical Pep tone. You get the sense this wasn’t up to Grealish anyway.
The final three, granted, have less obvious reason for absence. Phil Foden: ‘fitness issue’. Levi Colwill: no reported injury. Cole Palmer: limping slightly as he departed the Stamford Bridge turf on Sunday.
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So, to suggest that those absent, especially in the case of the first six listed, are using injury to escape the perils of playing for the nation, is incredibly tough, especially when you consider the senior Saka, Rice and Grealish, who have given so much in an England shirt.
The Bundesliga rightly enforces a three-week winter break in recognition of the obvious fixture overload. As Kane puts his feet up on December 21, perhaps with a Deutches Pilsner in hand, the Premier League boys will play four league matches, and a potential league cup semi-final, before the FA Cup third round on January 11, the same day Kane’s Bayern return to face Borussia Mönchengladbach. Any objections to a January break?
But by bringing some high-profile opinion on player absence, Kane has inadvertently switched on the metaphorical torch and lit up a blindingly obvious issue of fixture congestion. Rodri voiced the issue before he promptly did his ACL, in a piece of extremely predictable narrative where you can bet people said: “you couldn’t make it up, could you?”
But the England captain commenting, even to criticise his teammates, draws the light, moves the needle, etc…
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You’d think this was the apt opportunity for Kane to call out fixture scheduling, maybe have a pop at UEFA for inventing a Champions League with more games, in a move surely driven to deepen pockets.
Maybe launch an attack on FIFA. The vaguely unnerving Gianni Infantino was described by Jonathan Wilson as a ‘clownish populist’ for his compliance in Saudi Arabia’s successful bid for the 2034 World Cup. Now I’m not suggesting Kane echoes Wilson, but perhaps some kind of attack on the hugely expanded Club World Cup next summer, would be more useful.
Instead, Kane called out his players. He called out Saka despite his heroics against Switzerland. Palmer, provider of that coveted equaliser against Spain. But at least he catalysed a much-needed narrative.
By: Nilesh Singh / @Nilesh35Singh
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Mike Egerton – PA Images