Harry Kane has come out swinging at the doubters who reckon the heat at this summer's World Cup could be England's undoing before they even kick a ball in anger. The Bayern Munich striker and England captain has said publicly that the preparations put in place mean the high temperatures simply won't be a factor when the tournament gets underway. Bold words, and knowing England's history, you can understand why some fans are raising an eyebrow or two.
Now, to be fair to Kane, he is not the sort of player who shoots his mouth off for no reason. He tends to be measured, professional and pretty straight with the press. If he says the staff have prepared properly for the conditions, there is probably some substance behind it. England's backroom setup has improved significantly over recent years and they will have sports scientists, fitness coaches and nutritionists all working on exactly this kind of challenge.
That said, heat is one of those things that can catch even the best-prepared teams out. We have seen tournament favourites wilt in warm conditions before, and the physical demands of a World Cup schedule mean fatigue builds up quickly when you add humidity and high temperatures into the mix. Preparation helps, but it does not make anyone superhuman.
What England do have in their favour is a squad with genuine top-level experience across Europe's biggest leagues. These are not players who have never faced warm-weather football. Kane himself has been playing in the Bundesliga, Jude Bellingham is sweating it out in Madrid every week, and plenty of others are acclimatised to conditions that would have older England squads struggling by halftime.
So while it is easy to roll your eyes at confident pre-tournament declarations, Kane's point is not without logic. England have the players, the staff and the experience to handle the heat if they approach it sensibly. Whether they can handle the pressure of actually winning something is, as always, the real question nobody wants to answer just yet.
Let me know your thoughts.