WHAT HAPPENED?
The Bayern Munich attacker received harsh criticism from former Premier League player and broadcaster Jamie O’Hara following a lackluster performance against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals. Even though he has scored twice in the competition, Kane has not been able to contribute offensively and was substituted against the Swiss in the 109th minute even though the Three Lions were trying to win.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
O’Hara compared Kane to Ronaldo, who was fired by France on Friday after a terrible performance with Portugal in Germany. The European Championship’s top scorer was forced to leave the game with just one goal in his record, and as a result, Roberto Martinez came under fire for continuing to play with him in spite of his lackluster performance. Similarly, O’Hara has recently questioned Gareth Southgate’s choices on his starting lineup and has pushed the manager to remove Kane.
WHAT O’HARA SAID
In an interview with Grosvenor Sport, O’Hara said: “England had more problems with Harry Kane up front against Switzerland. He was non-existent. It’s like having Cristiano Ronaldo in the team – he’s only there because of his name. Gareth Southgate will never take him off because he thinks he might score – and he has scored a couple in this tournament – but he’s miles off the pace at the moment.
“You can say what you want about his overall game and what he brings to the team, but he hasn’t been good enough. Either Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins probably deserve to start or at least get some minutes. England don’t need to keep Kane on the pitch anymore – the whole point of doing that was because he could still take penalties, but England have top penalty-takers now.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Kane’s apparent lack of physical fitness is one of O’Hara’s main concerns. He criticized the Bayern Munich forward’s lack of movement and effort in front of goal, calling him “laboured” and “lazy.”
“There has to be a conversation about him not playing against the Netherlands – he looks laboured, lazy, he’s not making runs into the box and he’s not busting a gut to score goals anymore,” he said.
WHAT NEXT?
With England preparing for their pivotal encounter with the Netherlands, all eyes will be on Southgate to decide which players to include in the starting lineup, including Kane. The forward, if given the chance, will do everything in his power to silence his detractors on Wednesday by leading England to their second straight European Championship final and turning in a game-winning performance.
