The England captain has never quite been at his best when everything is on the line for neither club nor country
Depending on how much you subscribe to the idea of a ‘clutch’ gene, there is certainly something missing from Harry Kane’s game. The England forward, for all of his undeniable brilliance, has rarely shown up on the most grand of stages. He has, in fact, been rendered mostly anonymous when trophies are on the line.
There are, of course, good reasons for this. Kane has so often been the fulcrum of the teams he plays in, and thus to stop Kane is to stop whichever side he represents. That is perhaps why so much of the criticism directed his way is unfair. There is a blueprint that many opposing coaches employ: keep Kane quiet, and you have a pretty good chance at winning.
Still, there is also something to be said for showing up when it really matters, and a look at Kane’s previou big games shows that the striker has failed to deliver in vital moments. Whether it be squandered chances or missed penalties, there have certainly been some big-game blips for England’s captain.
Therefore, ahead of the second leg of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday, those demons – to the extent that they exist – need to be exorcised.
Russian run comes to an end
Should he have squared it?! In the 30th minute of England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia, with the Three Lions leading 1-0, Jesse Lingard played an inch-perfect pass into Kane’s feet. The striker had a wide open Raheem Sterling surging into the box to his right, but instead tried to find the bottom corner himself. His slightly scuffed effort was saved, and he cannoned the rebound off the woodwork from a yard out.
The Three Lions eventually ran out of steam, and a resilient Croatia equalised in the second half, before Mario Mandzukic buried an extra-time winner. In truth, Gareth Southgate’s team had probably made as it as far as their talents warranted – and would have had a hard time beating an excellent France side in the final. Still, that missed opportunity was Kane’s only real involvement in the game, and one of the great ‘what ifs’ in recent England memory.
“I’ve always said as a striker, whenever you miss a chance you obviously have to forget about it as quickly as possible during the game and be ready for the next one – but it hurts,” he would admit months later.
Injury issues lead to Madrid misery
Should Kane have really played in the 2019 Champions League final? The Spurs forward was nursing an ankle injury as Mauricio Pochettino’s side reached the European showpiece for the first time in the club’s history, and his manager admitted in the weeks leading up to the final that it would be “difficult” to have Kane ready to go in Madrid.
As a result, he was rather rushed back, and forced into the starting XI at the Metripolitano despite being far from fully fit. Liverpool were dominant on the day – Spurs didn’t put a shot on target until the 73rd minute – and Kane was a peripheral figure at best. He managed just 26 touches, the fewest of any Spurs player, and registered just one shot.
“This wasn’t a drama, it was a decision. For me Kane, after one month and a half, he finished the game fresh. He didn’t score, but my decision I promise was very analytical, with all the information. I have no regrets,” Pochettino insisted after the game.
Euros agony on home soil
Contrary to popular belief, Kane didn’t have a bad tournament at Euro 2020. After starting off slowly, he was crucial in England’s knockout wins over Ukraine and Denmark – scoring three goals across the quarter and semi-finals. Everything seemed set up nicely, then, for him to thrive in the final against a structured-but-beatable Italy side.
The reality was different. Although England took the lead early – Luke Shaw completing a fine flowing move – Southgate’s side never pushed home their advantage, and it was of little surprise when Italy equalised midway through the second half. It all ended in penalty heartbreak, with Bukayo Saka’s miss seeing England fall short of their chance at a first major trophy since their 1966 World Cup win.
And although Kane emphatically buried his spot-kick, it was his only real involvement in the contest. He didn’t put a shot on target, and completed a paltry 54% of his passes. Southgate’s tactics were rightfully criticised after the game – England should really have pushed for a second goal – but Kane didn’t do his part.
Penalty agony in Qatar
Kane. A penalty. World Cup quarter-final. Against France. His club team-mate in goal. The stakes were high. And Kane delivered, burying his spot-kick to level England’s contest with Les Bleus in the second half.
Everything, to that point, had gone to plan. The Three Lions were locked in a tight contest with the defending champions in Qatar, but could feel that they had enjoyed the better of the play. However, a moment of individual brilliance from Antoine Griezmann – who whipped a sumptuous ball onto the head of Olivier Giroud – left Southgate’s men chasing the game with 12 minutes of normal time to go.
Then, in the 84th minute, Kane got another chance from the spot. And surely he had to score again. How could he miss? In a cruel but admittedly English twist of fate, Kane dug his foot under the ball from 12 yards, and his effort glanced off the bar before flying high into the stands behind the net. England would lose the game, while France marched on to a second-successive World Cup final.
Terrible in title-decider
The now-Bayern striker is enjoying one of the most prolific goal-scoring seasons in recent memory. Thomas Tuchel’s side may have endured immense domestic disappointment, but Kane can have few qualms about his performances. He has scored 44 goals and assisted a further 11 across all competitions, and still has an outside chance of breaking Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga single-season goalscoring mark.
Still, for all of his individual achievements, Kane’s big-game issues have lingered. It all came to a head in Bayern’s potential title-decider with Xabi Alonso’s excellent Bayer Leverkusen in February.
Alonso’s men put three past Bayern, while Kane barely touched the ball, though the result was, admittedly, not Kane’s fault, as Leverkusen dominated all phases of the game. Still, his stats made for grim reading: Kane touched the ball 18 times, and was effectively left on an island as Tuchel got his tactics all wrong. The German press were ruthless in their assessment of his performance, as tabloid BILD dubbed the game “the Kane disaster”.
All on the line again
So we arrive at Madrid. Kane made his mark on the first leg, burying a penalty to give Bayern a 2-1 lead in the second half – which Vinicius Jr would eventually cancel out with a spot-kick of his own. It was perhaps a slightly disappointing night for the Bavarians, who could feel, with good reason, that they outplayed the new Spanish champions for long stretches of the contest.
It won’t be easy for Bayern to now get a result on Wednesday, especially at Santiago Bernabeu. Kane’s side go into the second leg as the underdogs, but this could be the chance for big-game redemption. Kane, for all of his issues, is among the best in the world, and the most obvious match-winner in the Bavarian ranks.
Indeed, he hasn’t stumbled to 44 goals this season, and he showed against Lazio in the last 16 that he can still deliver in European competition. But that fixture – one in which Kane scored twice – felt different. That was a game Bayern were supposed to win; this one, meanwhile, is wide open.
And so in the biggest game of the Bavarians’ season, Kane finally has a chance to show that he can deliver when it matters most. If he doesn’t, his wait for a first career trophy is likely to go on.
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