Kane the main man

LONDON • Harry Kane will hold the key to England's bid to end 55 years of hurt as Gareth Southgate's side start their Euro 2020 campaign with a revenge mission against Croatia today.

The Three Lions have not won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup at home and one of their more painful defeats in recent years was by Croatia, who beat them in the World Cup semi-finals in Russia three years ago.

But England have been revitalised and they go into their Group D opener with mounting belief. The stage is also set for Southgate's men to make the most of home advantage with all their group games being played at Wembley - 22,500 fans are expected today.

To do that, captain Kane must stay fit and firing on all cylinders.

The 27-year-old finished as the Premier League's top scorer for the third time with 23 goals last season. No wonder he has told Tottenham - without a trophy since 2008 - that he wants to join a club capable of giving him the medals his talent deserves.

But Southgate insists that Kane will be able to put aside personal ambitions for the duration of England's assault on the European Championship.

"I think his focus is on the team. I think he is very clear on that. The individual awards and achievements are of course a very special thing and have been very richly deserved," the 50-year-old said.

"But he is at that moment of his journey with us when you forget about the number of caps and goals and you are thinking about the team having success."

Kane won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup after scoring six times. But he looked exhausted by the time England ran out of steam against Croatia in the last four.

He has once again suffered ankle problems during the gruelling Covid 19-shortened season, raising questions about the measures Southgate will take to avoid his talisman burning out over the next month.

Southgate's assistant coach Steve Holland recently revealed that England staff have looked into Kane's usage in Russia in a bid to avoid a similar scenario with his fitness.

"In terms of players playing all seven matches, we are going to need and will use the squad," added Southgate.

While Kane will lead the line and John Stones will play in the centre of defence, beyond those two certainties there are only probables and possibles.

Assists by Harry Kane, who topped the category in the English Premier League last season. The tally was double his previous best.

Goal conversion rate of Tottenham and England forward Kane, as he claimed the Premier League Golden Boot award with 23 goals last season.

The injury to central defender Harry Maguire has given Southgate his biggest headache - does he trust the inexperienced Aston Villa centre-half Tyrone Mings enough to partner him with Stones in a conventional back four? If not, he will probably revert to three at the back and play with wing-backs.

With Jordan Henderson only just returning from injury, Declan Rice is the most obvious starter in the holding midfield area, but will he fly solo or with a partner such as Kalvin Phillips?

The most exciting part of the England team is the creative midfield area. Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish are all exciting talents, but is Southgate brave enough to play all three together?

And then there are Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, considered certainties a year ago to play on either side of Kane but who have both been below their best in recent months.

"Whether we play with wingers in a 4-3-3, No. 10s in a 3-4-3, with two wingers and a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1, we've got in those front slots very exciting players who can win matches," said Southgate.

He will be wary of Croatia playmaker Luka Modric, who despite being 35, will still pose problems for England allied with Chelsea's solid midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

But as memorable as the win in Moscow was, Kovacic knows this will be another challenge.

"It's been three years and this is a different tournament. But of course we will be going for a win again because it would be a massive confidence boost for the rest of the tournament," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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ENGLAND V CROATIA

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