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World Cup 2026: Mexico, USA and Canada

Muttley said:
lol - waking up with a hangover and just reading this. Games at 5pm aren't good when you're still in the curry house at 11pm.

As for Harry, fair play. We were all saying in the pub that he was once again letting the game pass him by. Some were asking for him to be subbed. I get Tuchel's dilemma. Harry only had 28 touches in 98 mins of football. He wasn't showing for the ball and he wasn't competing physically for much to be fair. Congo clearly roughed him up which is a decent tactic with Harry nowadays.

Then Harry did what Harry does best. The stat that matters the most. An absolute worldie. The way he shifted that ball and how clean he struck it was a beautiful thing.

Now Tuchel needs to aspire to make his captain more relevant in the next one. He had 35 touches against Croatia and played very well. He has had 25,20 and 28 touches in the other 3 games. I'd love to see Harry on the ball more. It would make such a difference to England. 5 goals in 4 games is fantastic but you always want more if you want to win tournaments.

As a comparison, Mbappe had 55 touches in the last one. If Harry has 55 touches, we walk last night's game.
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I knew you wouldn't let me down.

Maybe look at those around him and the supply. The crossing was brutal, even Rices delivery at set pieces was below par.
If he drops deep and plays more creatively he gets slaughtered by some for not being in the box. If he doesn't get involved in the build up play but still pops up with a couple of goals he's accused of not being involved in the play.

I think Tuchel will be happy with Kanes relevance in any game that he gets two goals in.
 
elyid said:
USA? Complete accident, not even looking at the player.

I’ve actually got no idea how that can be a red.
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Because VAR played it in slo-mo, which is apparently against their instructions for the WC.

I’d like to see the same instructions implemented in the PL next season. The game is played at full speed so decisions should be made on that basis.
 
DubSpur said:
I knew you wouldn't let me down.

Maybe look at those around him and the supply. The crossing was brutal, even Rices delivery at set pieces was below par.
If he drops deep and plays more creatively he gets slaughtered by some for not being in the box. If he doesn't get involved in the build up play but still pops up with a couple of goals he's accused of not being involved in the play.

I think Tuchel will be happy with Kanes relevance in any game that he gets two goals in.
Click to expand...

Admittedly, I am left scratching my head to Masdueke's inclusion in the first eleven. We always look better with Saka there when he comes on.

To your point, I do think you have to isolate it down to every players individual contribution and then look at the joined up pieces to get the total picture. I actually don't want Kane coming deeper nowadays. We have Anderson, Rice and Bellingham and it's much better than it was. I just want Harry more on his toes up front and find more angles to receive the ball. He has the touch to receive the ball in tight spaces and he definitely has the ability to win free kicks and make things happen. He can't be tearing round the pitch at 33 years old.

Tuchel will be happy but he will also know this competition gets tougher and tougher. The fine margins of improvement on every player is where he earns the big bucks. Kane is not an exception to this process. They all need to improve slightly.
 
Muttley said:
lol - waking up with a hangover and just reading this. Games at 5pm aren't good when you're still in the curry house at 11pm.

As for Harry, fair play. We were all saying in the pub that he was once again letting the game pass him by. Some were asking for him to be subbed. I get Tuchel's dilemma. Harry only had 28 touches in 98 mins of football. He wasn't showing for the ball and he wasn't competing physically for much to be fair. Congo clearly roughed him up which is a decent tactic with Harry nowadays.

Then Harry did what Harry does best. The stat that matters the most. An absolute worldie. The way he shifted that ball and how clean he struck it was a beautiful thing.

Now Tuchel needs to aspire to make his captain more relevant in the next one. He had 35 touches against Croatia and played very well. He has had 25,20 and 28 touches in the other 3 games. I'd love to see Harry on the ball more. It would make such a difference to England. 5 goals in 4 games is fantastic but you always want more if you want to win tournaments.

As a comparison, Mbappe had 55 touches in the last one. If Harry has 55 touches, we walk last night's game.
Click to expand...

(Sigh)
Mbappe is Mbappe.
Kane is Kane.
And how you can make such a binary statement is beyond me. Mbappe is part of a side who are brave, dynamic and in perpetual motion. Kane is playing in a side with a coward on the right in Madueke, two holding midfielders, and a terrible central defence.

Kane sussed them and played them. His movement for header was brilliant. First bit of decent service he had!
 
Muttley said:
Admittedly, I am left scratching my head to Masdueke's inclusion in the first eleven. We always look better with Saka there when he comes on.

To your point, I do think you have to isolate it down to every players individual contribution and then look at the joined up pieces to get the total picture. I actually don't want Kane coming deeper nowadays. We have Anderson, Rice and Bellingham and it's much better than it was. I just want Harry more on his toes up front and find more angles to receive the ball. He has the touch to receive the ball in tight spaces and he definitely has the ability to win free kicks and make things happen. He can't be tearing round the pitch at 33 years old.

Tuchel will be happy but he will also know this competition gets tougher and tougher. The fine margins of improvement on every player is where he earns the big bucks. Kane is not an exception to this process. They all need to improve slightly.
Click to expand...

Again, I don’t think your post is unreasonable. At his best, Kane is an elite finisher who can score with his head and either foot, and his hold-up play is outstanding. But he’s also an elite playmaker. He can spray passes all over the pitch and pick out teammates effortlessly, whether it’s a defence-splitting ball or a 50-yard cross-field pass.

That’s what makes his performances in England knockout games so puzzling at times. Too often he seems passive, and the game just passes him by. He can end up ambling around rather than imposing himself, and he doesn’t always make life difficult for the centre-backs he’s playing against.

It also wasn’t a great look when Ollie Watkins came on in the Euros semi-final, immediately looked sharp, energetic and ready for the challenge, then scored a brilliant winner. Moments like that inevitably raise questions about whether Kane has that relentless hunger and killer instinct to dominate the biggest games in the way the very best players in the world do, I think Bellingham has. Hopefully this tournament is where he answers those questions.
 
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I have to say, I almost always prefer the BBC's coverage to ITV's, but ITV have left them in the dust at this tournament. They've got a fantastic setup, some genuinely world-class former players as pundits, and an incredible backdrop overlooking the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Beeb haven't even left Salford. They're broadcasting from a studio with a dodgy flickering screen and, in my opinion, a fairly underwhelming pundit lineup. Don't the BBC usually travel to the host nation for major tournaments? It feels a bit strange that they haven't this time.
 
Jurgen the German said:
Again, I don’t think your post is unreasonable. At his best, Kane is an elite finisher who can score with his head and either foot, and his hold-up play is outstanding. But he’s also an elite playmaker. He can spray passes all over the pitch and pick out teammates effortlessly, whether it’s a defence-splitting ball or a 50-yard cross-field pass.

That’s what makes his performances in England knockout games so puzzling at times. Too often he seems passive, and the game just passes him by. He can end up ambling around rather than imposing himself, and he doesn’t always make life difficult for the centre-backs he’s playing against.

It also wasn’t a great look when Ollie Watkins came on in the Euros semi-final, immediately looked sharp, energetic and ready for the challenge, then scored a brilliant winner. Moments like that inevitably raise questions about whether Kane has that relentless hunger and killer instinct to dominate the biggest games in the way the very best players in the world do, I think Bellingham has. Hopefully this tournament is where he answers those questions.
Click to expand...
Kane was carrying an injury in the Euros.
 
Jurgen the German said:
I have to say, I almost always prefer the BBC's coverage to ITV's, but ITV have left them in the dust at this tournament. They've got a fantastic setup, some genuinely world-class former players as pundits, and an incredible backdrop overlooking the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Beeb haven't even left Salford. They're broadcasting from a studio with a dodgy flickering screen and, in my opinion, a fairly underwhelming pundit lineup. Don't the BBC usually travel to the host nation for major tournaments? It feels a bit strange that they haven't this time.
Click to expand...
Trump probably refused the Beeb entry with the upcoming court case :)
Spiteful little prick that he is.
 
Jurgen the German said:
Again, I don’t think your post is unreasonable. At his best, Kane is an elite finisher who can score with his head and either foot, and his hold-up play is outstanding. But he’s also an elite playmaker. He can spray passes all over the pitch and pick out teammates effortlessly, whether it’s a defence-splitting ball or a 50-yard cross-field pass.

That’s what makes his performances in England knockout games so puzzling at times. Too often he seems passive, and the game just passes him by. He can end up ambling around rather than imposing himself, and he doesn’t always make life difficult for the centre-backs he’s playing against.

It also wasn’t a great look when Ollie Watkins came on in the Euros semi-final, immediately looked sharp, energetic and ready for the challenge, then scored a brilliant winner. Moments like that inevitably raise questions about whether Kane has that relentless hunger and killer instinct to dominate the biggest games in the way the very best players in the world do, I think Bellingham has. Hopefully this tournament is where he answers those questions.
Click to expand...

But you see the pattern right. Someone goads me to comment on Kane and I put up some fair and balanced discussion points. I talk about the grey space and I give some latitude for Kane's age and disposition. I was mostly complimentary but I still get called "binary" because people only want to pick out the single lines in my arguments. I see things like (sigh) in their narratives as they take cheap shots. This is from people that have their own clear biases as well.

So thanks for having the conversation. I'm happy to talk about any player to be fair. For me, where England is at right now is like we were in the Tour de France all those years ago. It's about tuning every little nut and bolt and all the fine tuning it takes to make us winners. No player or manager is above that process. I would just love to see manager and player figure out how we get Kane on the ball more. That's all.
 
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