England captain and Bayern forward Harry Kane has publicly criticised his teammates who withdrew from Lee Carsley’s latest squad before their must-win Nations League fixture against Greece, accusing them of “taking advantage” as they round out the year without a permanent manager after long-time boss Gareth Southgate’s departure. Thomas Tuchel succeeds him on New Year’s Day.
Kane: England comes before any club situation
England vs. Greece (Nov. 14) and Ireland (Nov. 17)
UEFA Nations League B, Group 2 season drawing to a close
Three Lions will secure promotion back to League A with two victories
EIGHT senior players have withdrawn from interim head coach Lee Carsley’s final squad before England’s important Nations League double-header away in Greece and back home at Wembley against the Republic of Ireland this week – including Chelsea’s talismanic midfielder Cole Palmer and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.
Kane, who has scored 19 goals and created seven more assists for club and country so far this term, believes the incoming arrival of highly-regarded manager Thomas Tuchel on January 1 is an excuse for players who’d rather prioritise their club football than risk suffering injury on the international stage with a busy festive calendar.
Tuchel counts Ligue 1 giants PSG, Premier League elite Chelsea and Bundesliga powerhouses Bayern among his previous jobs and the Champions League-winning coach will become the third non-British permanent manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-06) and Fabio Capello (2008-12), inking an 18-month deal.
Carsley has done an astute job succeeding Aidy Boothroyd as under-21s manager since July 2021 and will return to that position when Tuchel takes charge, as the German will bring Anthony Barry – his trusted number two at Chelsea and Bayern – as assistant once more. England won last summer’s U21 Euros under him.
The normally diplomatic forward, 31, told ITV: “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 – England comes before any club situation.”
That quote has already prompted many think pieces and analysis, not least the BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty on the eve of their must-win clash against Greece, after Vangelis Pavlidis stunned them in stoppage-time on an emotional Wembley night remembering former Greek international George Baldock last month.
As expected, Tuchel spoke well during his introductory press conference last month and stressed there will be a clean slate for all as the Three Lions look to end their final hoodoo against the world’s elite – having reached the precipice twice under Gareth Southgate, only to be found wanting at the last hurdle both times.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes sourced
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