A Son Heung-min type of player is what England and Harry Kane need in their slumping form.
England legendary defender Rio Ferdinand told the BBC on Monday (Nov. 21) that “England and Kane need someone like Son Heung-min” in their ranks.
England drew 1-1 with Denmark in their UEFA European Football Championship (UEFA) Euro 2024 Group C second leg at the Frankfurt Stadion in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday. England, who had previously beaten Serbia 1-0 in the first leg, remain at the top of the group with one win, one draw and four points.
Despite the point, the performance was far from positive. They were outplayed by Denmark in both possession and shots on goal, and didn’t look as good as they did after the win.
Kane, who started as a frontline striker, gave England the lead in the 18th minute. Kane pounced on a cutback pass from right-back Kyle Walker to open the Danish net.
England’s joy was short-lived, however. Denmark equalized in the 34th minute with a fantastic mid-range goal from Morten Hulman. Hulman’s strike from distance found the back of the net.
England, with Kane, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Boubaye Sakho, Declan Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and a host of other world-class players, struggled to organize. They also struggled to dominate possession.
With the score 1-1 at half-time, England failed to find their feet in the second half. In fact, they allowed Denmark to create more chances. They were too weak for a team that was rated as the favorite before the tournament.
England were outshot 12-16 and trailed 4-7 in shots on target. Even with their best players, they played a soccer that relied on individual brilliance, and it was a blow to their pride.
England legend Gary Lineker, who watched the game, said: “I think Kane should have done a lot better to be honest. His movement was too limited. He didn’t show that he could cut back. Even when he received the ball, he was lethargic. This doesn’t help the team,” he pointed out.
Ferdinand, who was next to him, also disagreed: “Kane always comes down and plays. Defenders don’t have to think about how to 스포츠토토 stop him,” he said. “As a defender, he doesn’t play behind the defense. He moves within a predictable range. As a defender, it’s not difficult to stop him.”
Thomas Frank, who has faced Son Heung-min many times as manager of Brentford in the Premier League, added: “He’s been playing like that for the last four or five years. What’s different is that there’s no one around him to get in behind the defense when he comes down and receives the ball,” he said, “and that’s what we need now.
To which Ferdinand replied: “Exactly. It’s important to have players like Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min who can run in behind,” referring to Son, to which Frank replied, “Exactly. We need Foden or Bellingham to play the same role as Son Heung-min.”
Son Heung-min and Kane are one of the most potent attacking combinations in Premier League history. They played together for eight seasons, from 2015-16, when Son joined the club, to 2022-23.
Their combination exploded in the 2020-21 season under Jose Mourinho. Mourinho’s tactics, which maximized the duo’s chemistry, resulted in a 바카라사이트 순위 huge explosion.
They combined for a whopping 14 goals that season, setting a new single-season record for most goals in a season, surpassing the 13 goals scored by Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95.
Over the course of the season, they combined for 47 goals (Kane 23 goals, 24 assists, Son Heung-min 24 goals, 23 assists) to become the highest goal-scoring duo in Premier League history, surpassing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard’s 36 goals for Chelsea (Drogba 24 goals, Lampard 12 goals, 24 assists).
Son Heung-min became the first Asian to score in the Premier League in 2021-22, thanks in part to Kane’s ability to distract defenses. The duo’s chemistry has been perfect.
However, England currently doesn’t have anyone who can get behind the defense like Son can. As Ferdinand and Frank say, it will be interesting to see if Foden or Bellingham can fill the same role.