Harry Kane is doing what Harry Kane does — scoring goals, leading from the front, and basically carrying England on his back like he's got the whole nation strapped to him. The man is in genuinely brilliant form right now and there is no doubt he remains one of the best strikers in world football. But here is the thing, and it's a conversation worth having: what happens when Kane has a quiet game? Because right now, England's plan B looks worryingly like a slightly worse version of plan A.
Thomas Tuchel is an intelligent manager and he will know this better than anyone. He inherited a squad built almost entirely around Kane's goalscoring and while that is not the worst foundation in the world, it does leave England pretty exposed when the captain is not at his best or, heaven forbid, unavailable. The second string showed recently just how thin the attacking options can look when the main man is not on the pitch, and that should be ringing a few alarm bells heading toward World Cup 2026.
The likes of Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden are all genuinely talented players, but goals from wide areas and from midfield have been hard to come by on a consistent basis. Saka can absolutely contribute more in front of goal and Foden has shown at club level that he is more than capable of double figures in a season. Tuchel needs to find a way to unlock that from them in an England shirt, because relying on one man — even one as good as Kane — is never a smart long-term strategy in international football.
This is not a criticism of Kane at all. If anything, it is a compliment. He has been so good for so long that everyone else has perhaps got a little too comfortable letting him do the heavy lifting. Tuchel's job between now and the World Cup is to change that habit and build an attack where the goals are spread around. England have the players to do it. Whether they have the structure and confidence to make it happen is the real question.
Let me know your thoughts.