According to England captain Harry Kane, a winter World Cup will significantly boost The Three Lions’ chances of winning the tournament in Qatar. The Tottenham striker has urged his teammates to take their minds off being considered favourites.
England suffered several heavy defeats in the Nations League this month, including a loss to Hungary. The embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Hungary at the weekend has reportedly affected the team’s enthusiasm. Despite the recent defeats, Kane is confident that England can still win the World Cup later this year.
The striker stated that the team has overcome various obstacles over the past four years. Despite the positive achievements of the group, he noted that there are still areas where the team can improve. For instance, during the Euro 2020 tournament, the Three Lions could play the entire match without losing a game. However, they were eventually eliminated from the tournament after a shootout.
[mytwitter url=”https://twitter.com/hkane/status/1536824302422695941″]
World Cup campaign
The Three Lions will open their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21. A potential final between the two countries is scheduled for December 18.
On the other hand, Kane dismissed the notion that the international break would affect his team’s preparations for the World Cup. He noted that they’re used to playing in November and December, which is their busiest period, and that it should help them regain momentum.
“We are used to playing games in the Premier League in November and December. That’s our busiest period so I don’t think it will be a problem for us. In a way, it may be a benefit,” Kane said.
The England captain also admitted that having a winter World Cup will be strange, especially since it’s the first time it’s been done.
“Sometimes when you are playing in June and you’ve had a long season it is hard to get that momentum going again. It will be strange of course, this is the first time it will be done, but having it in November and December you are going straight into it and hopefully, that can work in our favour.”
Mentally prepared
Despite the team’s recent poor results, Kane said that the players are still mentally strong and believe they can still produce at the World Cup. Under manager Gareth Southgate, England has reached the last four of the past two major tournaments. He added that the team is still focused on winning the World Cup. The players have gained a lot of confidence from their experiences in previous tournaments.
“Success for us is to always try and win the tournament. We are growing in confidence with the other experiences we have had in the major tournaments. We have learnt a lot from last summer, and we will be going into this World Cup as one of the favourites,” said Kane on behalf of TOCA, a leading soccer training and entertainment company.
Despite the expectations of being considered one of the favourites for the World Cup, the 28-year-old forward said that the team is still in the right mindset. Kane concluded that many talented teams in the world need to be confident in their abilities to win the tournament.
“That’s a different expectation to handle, but I feel like we are in the right mindset. We have a great team,” said Kane. “But when we are there, we need to be confident that we can win it.”
