Ben Guest
The FIFA World Cup is almost upon us, with 32 nations dreaming of glory in Moscow next month.
One of those sides are of course England, although after 52 years of hurt, only the most ardent of fans could imagine that football will be ‘coming home’ this summer.
The Golden Generation of Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard et al are long gone, and after the dismal display at Euro 2016, Gareth Southgate’s young lions go into this summer’s World Cup with very little expectation on their shoulders at all.
However, Tottenham striker and England talisman Harry Kane has insisted that the Three Lions will go to Russia to play ‘attacking football’.
“We want to take this tournament head on,” he vowed. “There will be tough moments, there will be ups and downs. But for us it’s to play attacking football, and score.
“Sometimes going into a big tournament is about not losing and being passive. But for us it’s about winning the first game, second game and to take that into the World Cup.
“The aim is to be aggressive and brave in possession. That’s what we are trying to install into the team.”
Kane was part of the England team that flopped at Euro 2016, being dumped out of the competition by tournament minnows, Iceland. However, the newly appointed England captain believes that under Gareth Southgate’s stewardship, the players won’t freeze this time round:
“It was a down, a bad moment for us,” he said. “I’m confident it won’t happen again.
“In this team we wear our heart on our sleeve. We are proud to be here, we will work hard, be energetic.
“So first and foremost we will run around and do that aspect of the game. We have a lot of attacking flair who can do some damage.”