Analysing Harry Kane’s mysterious dry patch

After scoring four goals in three knockout matches Harry Kane has sent his critics home. He has successfully guided England to the grand finale of EURO 2020.

The English captain did deliver after an unexpected goal drought. Even the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, celebrated Kane’s first goal of the tournament, against Germany in the Round-of-16

Although pundits criticized him for his form during the group stage matches, it can be ascertained that there were real reasons behind his dry patch. Let’s explore and find out why this might be.

A forgettable Premier League season

Kane came to the Euros on the backdrop of a forgettable and dismal Premier League season. Tottenham Hotspurs finished 7th in the table thus missing out on Champions League play for the second year in a row.

Currently 28 years old and without a single trophy to boast about, Kane had allegedly shown interest in leaving the white side of North London. But with Daniel Levy’s presence and only midway in through his contract, Kane may find it tough to leave Spurs. Not to forget, Spurs had to digest yet another finals loss last season (the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City).

The pain and dejection of missing out on trophies are slowly getting unbearable for the English captain.

The backbone of Tottenham Hotspurs

Kane played 35 matches for the Spurs during the 2020-21 season and started in all of them.

This amount of game time indicates the importance and need of a player like him for Spurs. Fatigue and tiredness are bound to set in. He is also a central figure in Gareth Southgate’s tactics, all these factors point to one conclusion – he needed a break from his assigned workload, to recharge his batteries

This doesn’t mean he wasn’t serious. Through the semifinals, he has recorded more than one shot on target per game. However, the most astonishing stat is the number of big chances he has missed. The number is five! Most notably, the sitter he missed against Croatia in the team’s opening match. Another big one is the chance he spilled against Germany just at the stroke of half-time.

Yeah, maybe he was a bit unlucky, but since the results were favorable in the end, he didn’t receive sticks for those misses.

Expectations and pressure on Kane

Kane’s career is just a few years away from twilight and he hasn’t won a single trophy yet!

His dream to win trophies both at the club and international level has added height to already existing mental pressure.

Kane knows he is fortunate enough to have a talented national squad but earning trophies is a next-level thing. With most of England’s matches scheduled at home, the English captain had to soak enormous volumes of pressure.

Being the winner of the Golden Boot and being the Best Playmaker of EPL last season, fans’ expectations are added elements. They always want Kane to bloom and bang the opponents out. Adding all these, it’s quite clear that everyone wants Kane to not only perform, but to perform big.

Mental warfare?

It’s possible Southgate instructed his team to utilize energy judiciously and save fuel for the knockout games. The group stage results reflect that idea.

The idea of mental warfare became so prominent that after England advanced out of the group with only 4 points in their kitty, there were silly rumors that the Three Lions intentionally lost their final group match to avoid playing a team from the Group of Death in the last 16.

Kane’s talent and potential are not unknown. There is a possibility that Southgate used his grey cells and asked Kane to be dormant in the group stages. It has helped Kane and England shield themselves from the extra burden of expectations and media hype, unlike Holland and France.

Kane is a generational talent and an absolute beast in front of the goal. He can be the real difference-maker in England-Italy final at Wembley on judgment day.