Following England‘s surprising 1-0 defeat to Iceland in a friendly match ahead of Euro 2024, Harry Kane has called on his teammates to step up their game as the tournament begins on Friday, June 14.
Despite being one of the favourites to win the tournament in Germany, England’s farewell match at Wembley ended on a disappointing note, with the team being booed off the field by a half-empty stadium.
Iceland secured an early lead through Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson and continued to create better chances, while England struggled both offensively and defensively. Kane, the England captain, emphasized the need for improvement before their Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
“Sometimes you need this wake-up call,” Kane said. “There are areas we need to improve, especially with our pressure. The group games are going to be very similar to this. We are going to have to defend well, especially the longer balls, and with the ball, we need to be a bit more patient.”
Kane, 30, acknowledged the optimism among England fans, who believe the team can go one step further than their Euro 2020 final appearance.
“Ultimately, it is down to us to make sure we get it right on the pitch,” he said. “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.”
Having scored 44 goals in 45 games during his debut season at Bayern Munich, Kane expressed his eagerness for the tournament. “Being so close in the last Euros, there is a real hunger to be back. It comes around quick, if I’m honest,” he said. “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, it is really difficult to win these tournaments.”
Kane highlighted the importance of preparation and a bit of luck in winning major tournaments. “We have that mindset that we can achieve it. We also know there is a lot of hard work from now until the final in July.” England will also face Denmark and Slovenia in Group C.
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