Harry Kane’s decision to call out England’s drop-outs for putting club before country has caused quite a stir.
Nine players have withdrawn from Lee Carsley’s squad for the Nations League clashes with Greece and Ireland, and while Kane warned that dropping out would have been a risky move for their England futures under Gareth Southgate, players’ representatives have told Mail Sport that their reasons for it are genuine.
With all this in mind, our very own JAMES SHARPE AND LEWIS STEELE debate: was it right of Kane to call out the dropouts?
Harry Kane’s warning to England stars who have pulled out of the squad has caused a stir
James Sharpe – why Kane was RIGHT to call out his team-mates
Harry Kane is right. When it comes to football, no matter what your agent or accountant might tell you, the ultimate prize belongs to country over club.
There is a reason, after all, that Lionel Messi can win every prize football has to offer but until he finally held the Jules Rimet in his hands, the little genius was unable to rest his magic feet.
Twenty-two Englishmen have won the World Cup. Meanwhile, 141 of them have played in a team that went on to win the Premier League, and they include Jack Rodwell and Nathan Dyer.
Now, this is not the World Cup. It’s the Nations League. Rebadged park friendlies with a shiny little trophy at the end and, admittedly, at the start of a congested Christmas period in a calendar that professionals already complain is dangerously fit to burst.
Look, Declan Rice can’t play with a broken toe. Aaron Ramsdale’s got a broken finger. Trent Alexander-Arnold limped off at the weekend after less than half an hour with a hamstring injury. They’re injured.
International football still trumps the club game, writes James Sharpe – Lionel Messi’s legacy was secured by his World Cup win
Of course, there is no blaming stars such as Arsenal man Declan Rice, who has a broken toe
But of the nine England call-ups to drop out, five of them played the 90 minutes at the weekend.
So, you cannot help but see it as a worrying return to the cliquey old days of ‘Big Club’ players shrugging their shoulders at England duty because they had more important things to do, as though calling in sick to your boss with a fake croaky voice because you’ve got a tee time at midday.
And then we all wondered why, when the big tournaments came around, those great club players fell short when it mattered.
That’s why it matters now because it will matter in two years when it is the World Cup. And it will matter to the nation then if they don’t see those in white giving their all to end those years of hurt.
Whatever you thought about Gareth Southgate’s tactics, he made players want to play for England again. And that took them closer to winning something than many, many before him.
Now, with new man Thomas Tuchel absent until January, it’s not taken long to slip back into the old ways.
Even if you don’t agree with Kane, at least he’s taken a stand. At least he holds a strong belief and has the courage to speak out about it, regardless of the feathers he might ruffle.
This isn’t Strictly Come Dancing. You don’t have to come out on a Saturday night in your sparkly one-piece and pretend to the world everything is glitter and sparkles when you’ve spent the week fighting with your partner.
Gareth Southgate made players want to play for England – whatever you made of his tactics
How refreshing to hear a footballer, an England captain, at least say something.
We must all surely rather listen to Kane have a pop at the dropouts than lap up the anodyne banalities served up by Lee Carsley on the subject.
‘The focus all camp has been on the players that are here,’ he said. ‘That’s Harry’s opinion, I can only deal with what’s in front of us.’
Do us a favour. Tell us how you really feel. Because, as Harry knows, this stuff matters.
Lewis Steele – why it is WRONG for Kane to criticise them
I view international football in the same way many sports fans see tennis, golf or athletics.
Unless it is the big tournaments, I struggle to care. I’d like to say I tune in to random events on the ATP Tour or Diamond League meetings but, realistically, if it is not a grand slam or the Olympics, it does not pique my interest.
And it is the same for football. I adore the World Cup and European Championship – even Copa America – as much as anything. The feeling of putting up your wall chart and reading the team-by-team guides on the niche nations still gets me excited like a kid at Christmas.
Nations League or qualifiers just don’t do it for me, though, nine times out of 10 at least. Boring. In my adult lifetime, England have always breezed the qualifying campaigns so they have little jeopardy. I’ll turn the TV on in the background but they are far from appointment viewing.
Most young people do not care so much unless it’s a major tournament, writes Lewis Steele
The majority of players are bound to put their club first – besides fanatics like Jordan Pickford
Maybe it is because I work in football – often reaching double figures for monthly matches attended, plus press conferences every other day and writing an average of 10,000 words a week and seldom a day off. So the international break, for me, is what it says on the tin: a break.
I suspect if England were not on terrestrial TV, the viewing figures would reflect as much. None of my mates are ever keen to gather to watch the Three Lions for a qualifier but, when the tournaments roll around, we are booking pubs and planning barbecues months in advance.
The point is that while many still love watching their country all year round, I think the popular opinion of young adults is similar to mine. And this is crucial because I am the same age as the majority of the England squad – though some, like Kobbie Mainoo, are shamelessly younger.
Pulling on the England shirt does not seem to have the same meaning as it once did. Therefore, unlike Harry Kane, most players put their club first.
There are exceptions, like Jordan Pickford who loves being England’s No 1, but many would rather win the Premier League.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the dropouts, said recently that his ultimate goal was not to win the World Cup – but the Ballon d’Or.
Most of the players who have withdrawn have valid reasons to – Trent Alexander-Arnold has been having injections just to play
Harry Kane should wind his neck in and not judge his team-mates – he’s not a doctor, after all!
Of the nine players to have left the camp, though, most are genuinely injured – so Kane does not have that much of a leg to stand on when he called them out.
Declan Rice has been playing with a nasty toe injury, while Alexander-Arnold has been receiving injections before games and fighting through pain after a side injury suffered in Finland on the last international camp.
Jack Grealish has not been seen for Manchester City for weeks, while former City star Cole Palmer is alongside Bukayo Saka on a list of players who have certainly been rushed back by their club managers for crunch clashes.
Kane is not a doctor so should wind his neck in when criticising his team-mates, who will now have a bad reputation.
