Sport

Harry Kane is in the form of his life, so can Thomas Tuchel get the best out of him for England?

The records are falling on a regular basis for Harry Kane this season. By finding the back of the net against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, the 32-year-old became the first player in the history of the Bundesliga to score 11 goals in his opening six matches of a campaign. He’s got 16 goals in all competitions.

 

Not only this, Kane is growing as an all-round influence for Bayern Munich. He is dropping deep to involve himself in possession play, also registering three assists in the Bundesliga so far this season. Kane is in the form of his life right now and is getting even better for the German champions.

 

Thomas Tuchel has surely watched Kane’s recent performances for his former club. The England manager has two more games – against Wales and Latvia – to mould his team in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and Kane will be central to his plan. Can Tuchel get the best out of the 32-year-old?

 

Kane is England’s all-time top scorer with 74 goals to his name, but he hasn’t always produced his best form at international level. Indeed, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker faced criticism for his performances at Euro 2024 and the 2022 World Cup when supporters demanded more out of him.

 

Of course, Kane still managed to deliver at both tournaments, finishing Euro 2024 as the joint-top scorer, but fans looked at how the forward was an all-round threat at club level and didn’t see the same influence in the national team. Kane has underwhelmed in matches since Tuchel’s arrival too.

 

Part of the problem for Kane has been the rotating cast of supporting figures around him. Tuchel has experimented with various different wingers in recent matches. Marcus Rashford has played. So too has Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka. None of these players have nailed down their place in the forward line.

 

“Yes, we have a lot of options,” said Tuchel. “We have Ollie, we have Harry, Marcus [Rashford] can play there, Jarrod Bowen can play there, Anthony Gordon played there for Newcastle. I think so. Phil Foden can play in the nine, Morgan Rogers can play in the nine. Let’s see who catches form and catches fire in the Premier League, or wherever and starts scoring. But yes we have enough firepower there.”

 

England boasts one of the deepest squads in the international game. This is certainly true in the attacking areas where Tuchel has countless different options capable of making an impact at the elite level. The Three Lions should be among the favourites to win the World Cup next year. That’s why Tuchel was appointed in the first place.

 

However, it’s crucial that Tuchel finds the right formula in the final third, to get the best out of Kane and more broadly to give England the required firepower to take on and beat their rivals at the elite level. Every match before the World Cup is an opportunity for Tuchel to strike the perfect balance.

 

Fitness will be key for Kane next summer. More than once in the past, he has looked jaded after a long club season and has even played through injury, most notably at the 2022 World Cup when Kane was largely a shadow of his usual self. Kane is sometimes his own worst enemy in this regard, frequently running himself into the ground.

 

Tuchel has very little control over what Kane does at club level, but he can certainly harness the 32-year-old at the World Cup next summer. England possesses arguably the best centre forward in the world at the peak of his powers. That has to count for something when it matters most.