England captain Harry Kane’s diplomacy skills are almost as carefully crafted to the point of perfection as the marksmanship that has made him his country’s all-time record goalscorer.
So when Kane diverted from his trademark non-controversial messaging to deliver what amounted to a very public slap down on England team-mates for missing the forthcoming Uefa Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, it was a moment of wide significance.
This final England camp under interim manager Lee Carsley before new coach Thomas Tuchel takes charge on 1 January has been chaotic even before a ball is kicked here in Athens, with eight players withdrawing from the original 26-man squad.
Even one of those replacements, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, did not make it on to the plane to Greece before he was forced to return to his club for injury treatment.
One of the characteristics of Gareth Southgate’s eight years as England manager was his restoration of the joy of representing the country, a basic willingness to turn up – something Kane’s harsh words for the no-shows suggested was already at a loss.
Kane told ITV: “I think the joy to play for England – he [Southgate] brought that back. Every camp people were excited and wanted to play for England.
“That is the most important thing, England comes before anything. It comes before club. It is the most important thing you play for as a professional footballer. Gareth was hot on that and not afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players.
“It’s a shame this week. It’s a tough period of the season and maybe it’s been taken advantage of a little bit. I don’t really like it, if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before any club situation.”
Here, Kane makes the assumption that every player – perhaps more pertinently every club – shares this unswerving commitment to England as the top priority above all else. This may not be so. Indeed, it may be some blue-sky thinking from a player, no matter how brilliant, who has not won a trophy in his career for club or country.
This isn’t the first time Kane has gone on the front foot to the media, having spoken up against team criticism from pundits during Euro 2024.
But this is the first time he has criticised his own team-mates.
The mood around England seems increasingly gripped by a sense of drift, a holding operation with Carsley as the front man while Tuchel strangely waits in the wings before taking charge. The Football Association (FA) has led England, and as a result Carsley, into a situation where it looks like they are treading water until the new man takes office.
Increasingly questions are being asked as to why Tuchel is not starting his role here in Greece, and why he is not even in Athens casting his eye over the players the FA hopes he will guide to World Cup glory in 2026, as his 18-month contract suggests is the sole objective of his appointment.
Carsley has been quick to play down Kane’s words, insisting there was no rift between club or country. He also pointed to November always being a “challenging” month for injuries.
It should also be stated that those missing will insist they are absent for genuine reasons. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold lasted only 25 minutes of the 2-0 win against Aston Villa before going off with a hamstring injury. Arsenal’s Declan Rice could only play 71 minutes of the draw at Chelsea with an already broken toe, while Bukayo Saka also went off injured. It is impossible to think any of those players would not want to have completed such important games.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was an injury doubt before the game at Stamford Bridge but played the full match, while Manchester City’s Jack Grealish eventually pulled out after being included – much to manager Pep Guardiola’s obvious irritation – despite missing seven games through injury.
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale reportedly fractured his finger at Wolverhampton Wanderers, while reasons for the withdrawals of Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and Manchester City’s Phil Foden are unknown, although they both played 90 minutes at the weekend.
It will be intriguing to see how Kane’s words, which are sure to be interpreted as a thinly-veiled suggestion of some lead-swinging, are received by those who are in his crosshairs.
One of Southgate’s other big qualities was an ability to foster a fierce sense of unity in England’s squad, not something that will be helped by suggestions from the captain that some may be more interested in club than country.
A sub-plot is also clear. Would some of those players not here in Athens have been more minded to report had this been Tuchel’s first game in charge as opposed to the dying embers of the Carsley interim regime?
It also adds to the sense that the games in Greece on Thursday and against the Republic Of Ireland on Sunday do not carry meaning. Tuchel’s willingness to simply take a watching brief from elsewhere only adds fuel to that fire.
There is some significance to the results, though.
If England beat Greece and then finish top of their Uefa Nations League group, Tuchel’s opening matches in March will be either World Cup qualifiers or friendlies, depending on the size of their qualifying group. If they finish second, England will instead face a two-leg play-off and a potential return to the top tier of the Uefa Nations League.
When Tuchel takes charge, three months will have passed since he signed his deal with the FA. No concrete reason has been offered as to why he starts on 1 January. It is a tidy date to start, but it looks like time wasted.
Is this a feeling also shared by some England players? Kane’s interview will do nothing to make that suspicion go away.
The environment around England’s last camp – when they lost to Greece at Wembley before beating Finland in Helsinki – was chaotic and unsatisfactory, with mixed messaging from Carsley when he appeared to question his own credentials for the job, then insisted he was not ruling himself out of the running only for the FA to reveal at Tuchel’s Wembley unveiling that he had signed on the dotted line two days before the debacle against the side they face in Athens on Wednesday.
The FA and Tuchel may simply believe a start on 1 January, the first day of 2025, represents the new era, a fresh start.
Kane’s pointed words, and recent England camps, heighten the feeling that one is very badly needed.