Harry Kane has implored England to play uninhibited football with no regrets before their World Cup campaign kicks off against Croatia tonight.
A bullish England captain does not want to leave North America wondering this summer and called on Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions to attack the tournament.
Kane – who admitted that it is difficult to stop himself visualising lifting the trophy in New Jersey next month – believes he is calmer than ever after being one of several England stars to have lifted silverware this season.
‘I think the only regrets you can have coming away from tournaments is that you didn’t go for it,’ Kane said.
‘You can make mistakes, you can miss penalties like I’ve missed, but I don’t think those are the moments that stop you from sleeping at night.
‘I think it’s the ones where you feel like you could have given more, you feel like you could have been a bit more free, you could have just gone for it.
Harry Kane has urged England to leave the World Cup with no regrets this summer
Thousands of England fans have flocked to Dallas, Texas, ahead of the Three Lions’ opening game against Croatia on Wednesday
Many of them took in local pastimes (pictured – one fan poses with a donkey at Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk)
Despite the high costs of travelling to the World Cup along with tickets and accomodation, the England fans were in good spirits ahead of Wednesday’s game
‘Because when you lose, you lose anyway. It doesn’t matter how you lose, it’s the same result. I’d rather lose giving it everything, showing my best abilities, whether you make mistakes or not, I’d rather go out like that.
‘The message is just to be free and don’t be afraid of any outcome, and we’ll have a great chance.’
Kane revealed that Tuchel has upped the ante while addressing the squad in the days leading up to their curtain raiser in Dallas.
And the 32-year-old has appealed for patience if England are not to get off to a flyer when facing their old foes in the opening group game.
‘The manager will start to change,’ he added. ‘Already, some of the meetings that we had have been extremely passionate. I felt that a little bit at Bayern Munich as we got later on in the Champions League, the feeling you got from him was even more intense and even more passionate.
‘He’s someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. So, 100 per cent there will start to be a little bit of a shift. I feel like there has already been a little bit. We were in prep camp, so we didn’t want to be too intense too early, so I think that will come.
‘Of course we want to start in the best way possible, we want to start with a win and I want to start by scoring goals but that is not always the case. In World Cups, things can be taken out of context.
‘I think there’s been a shift in terms of the general feeling about me but it’s not just me, our squad this year a lot of us have been in winning teams, won trophies and had big moments where they’ve been the star of that moment. That will only help us in this experience as a team.’
Kane famously missed a penalty as England exited the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-finals
A confident Thomas Tuchel also revealed his stance on singing the English national anthem
Meanwhile, Tuchel says England will prove they are ready to beat a top nation for the first time under him against Croatia this evening.
Since he took charge in January of last year, the Three Lions have played three home matches against teams ranked in FIFA’s top 20 – and not won any of them.
There was a defeat by Senegal last summer and another against Japan during March’s internationals, which also included a draw with Uruguay.
Croatia are ranked at No 11 in the world, and Tuchel is promising we will see a better version of his team once the competitive action begins.
‘It is not a friendly match, we will not try stuff and we will rely on us – the occasion and the tension will bring out the best in us,’ he vowed.
Tuchel is set to unleash a front four of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke from the off at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium, as he added: ‘I think we should play brave and play to the strengths of the players. I feel clearly that the players want that and that it helps us. They are successful in club football like this and they compete in the strongest league.
‘The others compete in the highest level in Europe and the Champions League. They play in brave and active teams and that’s what we try, because it makes them comfortable.
‘I think it makes things exciting and creates a certain energy – and we need a connection with our fans, who are here, and with the fans at home to create something special. The tension will grow naturally once we arrive at the stadium. It’s a big match against a strong opponent. We need no extra fuelling at this moment.’
Tuchel’s preparations for this game were rocked on Sunday when Tino Livramento suffered a calf strain in training.
The Newcastle full back was sent for a scan and it revealed a low-grade tear, ruling him out for at least a few weeks. He will return to the North-East for treatment. Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah will arrive as his replacement after the Croatia game.
Meanwhile, Tuchel says he is sticking to his position of not signing the national anthem before kick-off.
‘I think we are not there yet,’ he said. ‘At the very end (of the tournament) maybe. I am still a bit shy, I don’t want to offend people and don’t want to have the focus on that now.’
However, the German admits he feels like an adopted Englishman.
‘Yeah, it feels like that,’ he said. ‘I can’t explain it, but it felt like this from the first weeks at Chelsea. It just felt so good to be in the country and in the city, and be a part of the Premier League.
‘Every day was a gift. I liked it from the first day, it was so easy for me to adapt. I would say now, “I fly home to London”. I cannot say often enough – I’m grateful and it’s an honour for me to be England head coach, and nobody wants it more than me.’
