England captain Harry Kane believes his team can still clinch Euro 2024, despite a shocking defeat to Iceland in their final warm-up friendly. England’s dismal performance came just days before their flight to Germany, where they will face Serbia in their first group match. Kane remains optimistic, viewing the loss as a necessary wake-up call.
“This could be a nice wake-up call for everyone to realize it is not going to be as easy as people think. There is a lot of work to do,” Kane remarked. He emphasized the need for improvement, especially in maintaining intensity and winning crucial duels. “We fell below our standards without the ball, and that is something we have to review and get better with. There probably was not enough hunger in the duels, in the second balls and winning those.”
Kane is adamant that the team’s real test will be their performance during the tournament. “I have said many times to judge us on the tournament form, on the tournament football,” he noted.
Despite the defeat, he feels the fans’ optimism is justified. “Ultimately it is down to us to make sure we get it right on the pitch. Being so close in the last Euros, there is a real hunger to be back.”
Reflecting on England’s near success in previous tournaments, Kane admits the challenge is immense. “We had the World Cup and we are back here again. I feel like we are on the right path. But as we all know as well, it is really difficult to win these tournaments,” he explained, stressing the importance of preparation and a bit of luck.
Kane also addressed his personal disappointment from the last World Cup, where he missed a crucial penalty in the quarter-finals against France. “Yeah, pretty s*** wasn’t it?” he said candidly.
Despite the setback, he has moved on and is focused on the upcoming challenge. “I think in football you are going to have ups and downs on the way. Of course that was a down for me at the moment but I think over two years, for club and for country, I have put that to bed and I am just excited for another major tournament.”
As England heads into Euro 2024, Kane’s leadership and optimism will be crucial. The team’s ability to learn from their recent mistakes and channel their hunger into performance on the pitch will determine their success in Germany.
