Why Thomas Tuchel Is Pinning England’s World Cup Hopes on Harry Kane | OneFootball

“Why does Harry Kane keep dropping deep?”

Words commonly expressed by the modern England fan, who has so often watched their nation fall at the final hurdle.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Three Lions’ captain and all-time record goalscorer is that he does not turn up in the big games. Another is his tendency to drop deep when playing for England, with many pointing to the void up front he leaves behind when he comes short.

This summer, these two criticisms are set to combine, but manager Thomas Tuchel will hope one offsets the other.

England finally have the solution to allowing Harry Kane to drop deep, and it is set to be their biggest attribute in the 2026 World Cup, where they and their captain must deliver in the ultimate moments.

Tuchel’s Attacking Blueprint

This summer, England will not dominate possession in their knockout games. As the top-seeded nation in their group, and with 8 of the 12 groups seeing three of four teams progressing, it’s a pretty safe assumption that they will make it to the Round of 32 safely.

Three Lions’ head coach Thomas Tuchel’s gameplan has become pretty apparent, and their 26-man squad for the World Cup has reinforced the way they will try to play, with transitional midfielders and wingers selected.

As Bayern Munich manager, Tuchel revelled in Harry Kane coming deep, and an attacking midfielder running into the vacated space. It’s a tactic the German has deployed since his arrival as England boss, and suits his skipper perfectly.

Tuchel has played a 4-1-4-1 formation in possession so far, with Elliot Anderson as the deep-lying playmaker, allowing Declan Rice and one of Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers to operate in the half-spaces.

Rice and Rogers/Bellingham are midfielders who will create the desired room for Harry Kane to move deep. In the transition, it is likely that one of the three will make a line-breaking run, or even in behind the opposition defence, allowing Kane to utilise one of his best attributes – his passing.

When this happens, it is impossible for teams to deal with one of the best players in world football. If centre-backs follow Kane deep, they will just leave further space behind.

In the past, Kane has come short and had no real options further up the pitch, righteously frustrating England fans.

This summer, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madeuke will all have parts to play – as the perfect runners ahead of the ball.

You can see why Tuchel chose these players ahead of the likes of Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Cole Palmer. Rather than selecting the best technical players on offer, Tuchel has chosen to best suit his tactical ideals.

Kane’s most frequent choice of pass will be the player who replaces him in the centre. Despite being one of football’s best strikers, he is far from a great runner in behind.

That is where the number 10 comes in.

The Number 10 debate

Every tournament, one place is honed in on by the media, which causes selection headaches, fallouts, and havoc in the England camp.

In 2026, that position is the number 10. Jude Bellingham vs Morgan Rogers. Real Madrid vs Aston Villa. Friend vs… friend? England’s media team provided the perfect remedy to settle any doubts, pairing Bellingham and Rogers together for their ‘Lions Den’ feature. No drama, no biggie, just teammates.

When asked to highlight each other’s best attribute, both Bellingham and Rogers were unwavering in their praise. Thomas Tuchel has a huge decision to make here, but early lineup leaks ahead of England’s opener against Croatia suggest Jude will make the cut.

Both are fantastic players, but there is no denying Bellingham just has that ‘clutch’ factor. In the 2024 European Championships, he single-handedly gave England a lifeline with a last-minute overhead kick equaliser against Slovakia.

Some are quick to criticise Bellingham’s contributions, but there is no doubt he is the best option. His runs in behind, in a role he has done before for Real Madrid, will be hugely important.

Jude is set to start, but Aston Villa man and Europa League winner Morgan Rogers will be vital from the bench. The role of the number 10 this summer will be the most taxing in the team. In the North American heat, the use of substitutes will be even more important.

We Kane Do It

If Harry Kane is on form, England will undoubtedly be one of the sharpest teams in the tournament. They made the final of the 2024 European Championships while he was half-fit; the heights they can and are yet to reach with their skipper firing are huge.

England’s passage to attack depends on Kane finding the right rotations with Bellingham. His world-class game IQ will allow him to do just that: link up with his teammates effectively.

For Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 season, Kane scored 64 goals in 56 games. The form striker in the world, England need him to step up in the latter stages of the tournament. If so, success could be close.

Football is much more complex than one person, but it doesn’t get a whole lot more influential than England’s talisman.