Harry Kane’s fitness has become a concern for England following their frustrating 1-1 draw with Denmark. The England skipper was substituted after 69 minutes and replaced by Ollie Watkins as the team struggled to create chances in the game. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, expressed his concerns about Kane’s fitness, stating that the striker had only played one 90-minute match in the last five or six weeks. Southgate made the decision to make a triple change, also substituting Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka for Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen, in order to inject speed and energy into the team’s front line.
Kane’s fitness has been a topic of concern even before the tournament began, as he missed the end of the season with Bayern Munich due to a back problem. In order to recover in time for the Euros, Kane worked with Dr Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco, who has also helped him with his long-standing ankle problems. Former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel revealed that Kane had a complete blockade in his back, which worsened and began to affect his everyday movements. This ultimately led to him missing the final two Bundesliga games of the season.
With England set to face Slovenia on Tuesday, Southgate will be desperate for Kane to be fit. Avoiding defeat in this match will secure their qualification for the knockout rounds. Kane’s presence and goal-scoring ability are crucial to England’s success, and his fitness will be closely monitored leading up to the match.
In the recent game against Denmark, England stumbled to a drab 1-1 draw. SunSport’s Tom Barclay provided player ratings for the team, with Marc Guehi receiving the highest rating of 8. Guehi, who plays for Crystal Palace, displayed sharp interceptions and assured distribution throughout the match. However, there were concerns over some players’ performances, such as John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Stones, who had limited playing time for Manchester City in the second half of the season, seemed to struggle with his fitness and had some injury and illness issues in the past month. Alexander-Arnold’s experiment of playing in midfield did not yield convincing results, as his passing was off throughout the game.
Overall, England’s performance against Denmark was lackluster, with several players looking tired and lacking the same level of performance they displayed in previous matches. The team dropped worryingly deep in the first half, and Declan Rice had to cover a lot of ground in front of the back four. Despite Kane scoring his 64th goal for his country, he gave the ball away leading to Denmark’s equalizer. The substitutions made by Southgate, including Conor Gallagher, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, and Eberechi Eze, had varying impacts on the game but were unable to secure a victory for England.
As England prepares to face Slovenia, Southgate will need to assess the fitness levels of his players and make strategic decisions to ensure a strong performance. The team will be eager to secure a positive result and progress further in the tournament.