In the theatre of international football, faith in a great player often outlasts the evidence of a poor run — and Gareth Southgate, on the eve of England's decisive group match against the Czech Republic, chose faith. Harry Kane, the nation's most decorated striker, had gone two games without a shot on target at Euro 2020, yet his manager's conviction remained firm, rooted not in recent form but in a longer record of delivering when it mattered most. It is a familiar tension in sport: the question of whether a champion's silence is decline or merely the pause before resolution.
Southgate backs Kane to start against Czech Republic despite goalless run
He is our most important player, there is no doubt about that
Mark
So Southgate is keeping Kane in the lineup despite him not getting a shot on target in two games. That's a bold call, isn't it?
Mimi
It is, but Southgate's reasoning is that Kane does more than just finish chances. He's orchestrating play, bringing others into it. The manager sees him as essential to how England functions, not just as a goalscorer.
Luke
Fair enough, but we should be clear: Kane hasn't scored. That's the fact. Southgate's explanation about build-up play and managing workload—those are reasonable, but they're also the things a manager says when his star player isn't delivering in the moment.
Mark
Has Kane actually been playing poorly, or is it just the lack of goals?
Mimi
He's been involved in the play, but the chances haven't come. Part of it is his own tactical shift—he's dropping deeper now, which works at Tottenham but seems to have left him further from goal at international level.
Luke
Right, and that's the real tension here. Kane changed how he plays at club level, and it's working there. But we don't actually know yet whether that same approach will work in a tournament where he's expected to be the primary finisher.
Mark
So Southgate is essentially saying, trust the process?
Mimi
Yes. He's pointing to Kane's track record—Golden Boot at the World Cup, top scorer in the Premier League. He's saying Kane has come through doubts before and will do it again.
Luke
He might be right. But it's also worth noting that Southgate hasn't actually explained why Kane's deeper positioning is necessary for England in the same way it is for Tottenham. That's still an open question.
Mark
What happens if Kane doesn't score against the Czechs?
Mimi
England still needs to win to top the group. But if Kane stays quiet, the pressure on Southgate's decision will only grow.
Luke
Exactly. This is a high-wire act. Southgate is backing his player, which is admirable, but the next match will either validate that faith or expose it as misplaced.
Der Puls
- Harry Kane has not registered a single shot on target across England's first two Euro 2020 matches, a drought that has sharpened public scrutiny of the tournament's most high-profile striker.
- Southgate substituted Kane in both games, raising questions about whether the captain's deeper, more creative role — effective at club level — is costing him the penalty-box chances he needs internationally.
- Despite the pressure, Southgate has publicly and emphatically confirmed Kane starts against Czech Republic, framing him as irreplaceable not just for goals but for the entire shape of England's attack.
- England must win to top Group D, and Southgate is managing Kane's fitness deliberately, preserving him for the knockout rounds where he believes his captain will prove the doubters wrong.
In the theatre of international football, faith in a great player often outlasts the evidence of a poor run — and Gareth Southgate, on the eve of England's decisive group match against the Czech Republic, chose faith. Harry Kane, the nation's most decorated striker, had gone two games without a shot on target at Euro 2020, yet his manager's conviction remained firm, rooted not in recent form but in a longer record of delivering when it mattered most. It is a familiar tension in sport: the question of whether a champion's silence is decline or merely the pause before resolution.
Gareth Southgate left no room for ambiguity: Harry Kane would start England's third group game against the Czech Republic. The confirmation came even as Kane's tournament had, by any conventional measure, been a quiet one — no shots on target in two matches, substituted off in both the win over Croatia and the goalless draw with Scotland.
The silence was jarring given Kane's recent domestic record. He had ended the Premier League season as its top scorer and top assist provider, and at the 2018 World Cup he had won the Golden Boot. But his game had evolved, with Kane dropping deeper to orchestrate rather than finish — a shift that served Tottenham well but appeared to limit his clear-cut chances at international level.
Southgate's response to the scrutiny was measured but firm. Kane, he argued, was far more than a goalscorer — he was fundamental to England's build-up, their structure, their identity. The substitutions, Southgate explained, were tactical rather than punitive: in one match England were protecting a lead, and across both games the manager was carefully managing Kane's minutes with the knockout rounds in mind.
With a win against Czech Republic needed to finish top of Group D, Southgate's faith rested on a simple calculation — Kane had been doubted before, and had answered with goals. The manager was betting that the silence was temporary, and that when the tournament reached its decisive moments, his captain would be ready.
Gareth Southgate had a clear answer when asked whether Harry Kane would start England's third group match against the Czech Republic: yes, absolutely. The England manager's confidence in his captain was unshakeable, even as Kane entered the tournament in a peculiar form—he had not managed a single shot on target across the opening two games of Euro 2020, and Southgate had substituted him off in both of them, the victory over Croatia and Friday's scoreless stalemate with Scotland.
Kane's drought stood in sharp contrast to his recent domestic dominance. He had finished the Premier League season as both its leading goalscorer and its leading provider of assists, and at the 2018 World Cup he had claimed the Golden Boot. But something had shifted in how he operated. Over the past year, Kane had adapted his game significantly, dropping deeper into midfield to orchestrate play rather than hunting in the box—a tactical adjustment that had served Tottenham well but seemed to have starved him of the clear-cut opportunities he needed at international level.
Yet Southgate's backing was unambiguous. When pressed on Kane's role in the team, the manager framed the striker as far more than a finisher. "He is fundamental not only to the goals he scores but the build-up play and everything else he brings," Southgate said. The manager acknowledged the scrutiny Kane faced but suggested it was familiar territory. Kane had weathered doubts before, Southgate noted, and had responded by scoring the goals that won England their next matches. He expected the same pattern to hold.
Southgate also addressed why Kane had been withdrawn in both previous games. In one instance, England already held the lead and needed fresh legs to press and protect the advantage rather than chase another goal. Beyond that tactical consideration, Southgate revealed a longer view: Kane had played substantial minutes during the World Cup, and this time the manager wanted to manage his workload more carefully. England had capable options on the bench to rotate in, which gave Southgate the flexibility to preserve Kane's fitness for the knockout rounds ahead.
The stakes for the Czech Republic match were clear. England needed to win to finish atop Group D, which would shape their path through the tournament. Southgate's faith in Kane was not merely sentimental—it rested on a body of evidence. "He is our most important player, there is no doubt about that," Southgate told ITV Sport, pointing to Kane's goalscoring record as the ultimate proof. The manager was betting that Kane's current silence was temporary, that the deeper role he had adopted would eventually yield the moments that mattered, and that when the tournament's decisive stages arrived, his captain would deliver.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
He is fundamental not only to the goals he scores but the build-up play and everything else he brings.— Gareth Southgate
He is our most important player, there is no doubt about that.— Gareth Southgate
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