Harry Kane believes England have an ‘aura’ that has helped them get to within one step of another major final.
While pundits and a lot of supporters have been critical of England’s performances in Germany, they are still seen as a powerhouse nation by other teams. Their record in the previous three major tournaments meant they came here with a strong reputation and a favourite’s chance.
And the England captain is convinced that gives them a psychological edge when they step on to the pitch. Kane explained: “As a team, we’ve been clear that we haven’t hit the heights of how we want to play but we’re still in a good place and we’re leaning on a lot of experience, we’re leaning on being here before.
“And there’s the perception from other teams - when you’ve been in finals, semi-finals on a consistent basis that gives you a certain aura as a team that other nations look at. That’s down to our own work. We’ve built that up over past tournaments and now we’re in a situation where we deserve to be.
“If anything it’s a chance for us to take another step on and show what we can do.” In building up that aura, Kane and his team-mates have had to cope with the growing demands of the English public, who now seem to insist that nothing less than a run to the final is acceptable.
Kane explained: “When you look back to 2018, I don’t think there was any expectation on us to go all the way to a semi-final and we were just riding that wave of being in a new environment and creating new history.
“But step by step you start to become favourites before the tournament and you have to handle a different type of pressure. If you get knocked out in the quarter-final or round of 16 there’ll be a lot more uproar.
“Step by step, you grow into the tournament but we still haven’t reached the full potential that you’ve seen for several years now.” Not only are expectations high when it comes to England’s performances, expectations are high when it comes to Kane’s individual contribution.
And as he prepared to face Holland and old adversary Virgil van Dijk, Kane defended himself after a lot of pundits suggested he was dropping too deep too often. He said: “I criticise myself as much as anyone and I know there have been times in games, for sure, when I can do better and move better, especially in and around the box.
“But ultimately I do what's best for the team. Sometimes, when I'm dropping deep, it might not be necessarily to get the ball, it might be creating space for other players around me, it might be to drag the defenders out of their positions and leave spaces for others.”
And Southgate and the coaching staff have clearly been working on a way to get past Van Dijk. Kane went on: “Virgil is one of the best defenders in the world and has been for a long time now – he's strong, he's powerful, he's quick, so it might be in different areas that I have to try and exploit and try to hurt him. It might not just be me, it might be other players in the "10" pockets that drag him out of position.
“There will be moments in the game where I'll probably get on top, there'll be moments where he (Van Dijk) will be on top - and it's just about trying to exploit my strengths.” And a nation is desperate to see those familiar strengths on this grand stage.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.