Harry Kane explains how England will learn from Arsenal in bid to win World Cup
England have booked their place at the World Cup and despite not yet knowing their opposition, Thomas Tuchel and his coaching staff are building a tactical blueprint
Harry Kane says England will go to the World Cup with an NFL style playbook of set-pieces. Kane says free-kicks, corners and long throws will be of “massive” importance and England are following the Premier League trend ahead of next summer.
England scored nine of their 12 goals from set-pieces in the 2018 World Cup but Kane says there could be an even greater emphasis in the United States because of the scoring temperatures. Kane is a huge gridiron fan, has become friends with NFL legend Tom Brady and even harbours an ambition of becoming a kicker in the future.
NFL sides have detailed playbooks of routines and England will be copying that sort of template so players know the routines for the World Cup. Set-piece analyst Paul Quilter and assistant coach Anthony Barry are putting on detailed sessions while Declan Rice is deadly at corners and free kicks for Arsenal who are the Premier League’s set-piece kings.
England captain Kane said: “I think it is massive, to be honest. I know it is not the prettiest part of the game but we have always been big on set plays, both defending and attacking.
“I feel like we are getting in some really good routines attacking-wise. Obviously Dec and players like that can put in perfect crosses and are doing it week-in, week-out for their clubs as well. We want to build a book of set plays where we can go into the tournament where there is not a lot of time to practice it in a tournament.
READ MORE: Harry Kane sent fresh Barcelona transfer message as star speaks out – ‘I’ll decide soon’
“You want to also have like an NFL play book in a way where you look at the opposition and see if they are zonal or man-mark and we can pick what we want to do and ultimately, the best team at set plays normally go on to be the best team in the tournament.
“They go on to have clean sheets, they go on to the latter stages and we did that in 2018, we did that in 2022. Our defensive record is really good as well. So, that is a big part.
“We don’t get loads of time to do it on the grass so meetings are really important and obviously with Paul and Anthony here, they try to go through the details. It is also about the lads taking it in mentally more than physically and hopefully by the summer we will have a good mixture of set plays that we can go from.”
Will England win the World Cup? Give your prediction in the comments section.
It was a year ago that Kane questioned whether England had lost the togetherness and commitment which was forged under Gareth Southgate when there was a raft of pull-outs for interim boss Lee Carsley’s final games in charge. But Kane has no doubt that now they are in a good place and the “brotherhood” is back under Thomas Tuchel and can carry them to glory next summer.
Kane added: “I think it’s the bonds that you build on the pitch, off the pitch, the experiences you go through together. I think especially when you’re going into a major tournament, you’re going to be spending so much time together in a high-pressure situation.
“You can see with this camp – Marc Guehi had a little injury but still wanted to be around the group and the meetings and learn from what we’re trying to do. So far, it’s been great. I definitely think the team is in a really good place going into the New Year.
“There’s going to be moments, people have highs, people have lows, and I think ‘brotherhood’ is a place where you can be yourself, where you know when to give moments to your team-mates, you know when to pick your team-mates up, you know when to motivate them.
“I feel like under Gareth’s reign we did that really well and we built those bonds, getting to two finals, that wouldn’t have been the case without that. We’re definitely willing to do that, to do what it takes to go all the way this summer.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Get 50% off Premier League kits and merch
Kitbag has slashed up to 50% off football kits and merch. Fans can find discounts on products from Premier League clubs including Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and more.
