Jamie Carragher has warned Gareth Southgate must change Harry Kane’s role if England are to stand a chance of winning Euro 2024.
Kane was subdued in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday night, with the England captain opting against dropping deep to get involved in the play and instead operating in a traditional No 9 role.
The Bayern Munich forward was more involved after half-time and came close to doubling England’s lead when he saw a header tipped onto the crossbar by Predrag Rajkovic.
Carragher, writing in The Telegraph, claimed Kane’s effectiveness was reduced by ’50 per cent’ by playing him in a poacher role similar to one Erling Haaland plays in at Man City.
The former Liverpool defender said it was ‘deeply worrying’ that Kane had been reduced to just two touches in the first half.
Jamie Carragher has warned Harry Kane’s role must change for England to win Euro 2024
Carragher claimed Kane’s effectiveness was reduced by his poacher role against Serbia
Kane came close to doubling England’s lead with a header but was largely subdued on Sunday
‘Kane is a multi-tasking, modern centre forward who was reduced to one-dimension during the 1-0 win over Serbia,’ Carragher wrote.
‘If Southgate persists with the same system for the rest of the tournament, their No 9 will be heavily compromised. Possibly too much.
‘The reason he is world class is because he does not need to score to have an impact on a game. At his best, he is a goalscoring No 9, a false 9 and a creative No 10.
‘Redefining him as a poacher to accommodate so many team-mates who want to occupy the deep, No 10 position will be the most contentious decision Southgate makes if England are unsuccessful.’
Carragher warned that Southgate would adapting Kane’s role to get the most out of the forward was the only way England will be able to triumph at Euro 2024.
The England captain has headed into the tournament following an excellent debut season at Bayern Munich, scoring 44 goals and providing 12 assists in 45 matches.
Kane had reflected on his own performance, with the England captain suggesting his role will change depending on the Three Lions’ opponents at the tournament.
He admitted had played higher on Sunday night to push Serbia’s defenders deeper into their half, opening space for Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham to operate in.
Kane admitted he had to hold the ball up and win free kicks for the team against Serbia
‘I think each game will be different,’ Kane told the BBC.
‘Today I stayed a little bit higher because they like to defend man to man, I wanted to keep them deep so Jude and Phil could play in the pockets, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] as well on the right side.
‘Each game will be different, sometimes you will see me drop in and sometimes see me play higher up.
‘I think for me today was more about holding the ball up, especially in the second half, winning fouls and trying to see the game out.’
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