In Focus: National service can help turn Kane's season around

The current international break provides a welcome distraction for Harry Kane.

After a tough start to the season, the England skipper will enjoy being with Gareth Southgate and his fellow Three Lions stars. 

Tottenham will be hoping that time away from North London rejuvenates their star striker. 

But will that be the case?

Struggling at Spurs

If you look at the bare facts, Kane’s tally of six goals in 10 games does not feel like a poor start for any striker.

But five of them have come in the Europa Conference League, including a hat-trick against minnows Mura.

Kane has yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League, despite playing 90 minutes in each of the last five games.

He has been heavily criticised for his displays, with former England star Rio Ferdinand claiming he barely recognises the hitman. 

He said: "From his first five games this season, 381 minutes, zero goals in the Premier League, zero assists, six shots in five games, four key passes in open play, four dribbles completed.

"His touches in the box, I look at his heat map and it is everywhere but not in the opposing penalty box.

"He’s so far removed from the Harry Kane we know. This guy has proven he's a mad marksman. He scores goals.

"If you judge him on just that, he's nowhere near the numbers, nowhere near the input, nowhere near the actual involvement in the team's play at all."

Welcome break

Kane, 28, will be pleased to get away from the pressure cooker that is Spurs.

He thrives on international duty, leading Southgate’s young and popular side with aplomb.

Although he is set to sit out the World Cup qualifier in Andorra tomorrow, the England faithful will serenade their captain on Tuesday night when Hungary visit Wembley.

Three Lions boss Southgate has no concerns that the striker's disappointing club form will affect his focus with the national team.

Speaking ahead of the international break, he said: "I can only talk from an England perspective. Every couple of months I have to sit here and answer similar questions — then Harry goes out and scores a load of goals for us.

"It's the life of being a high-profile player — you've got to accept there is going to be that speculation, intensity and analysis of your performances.

"We had three games last month. He appeared in all three and scored a goal in each of them."

Record breaker

And all the negative press surrounding Kane will disappear for a few days if he adds to his England tally before returning to Tottenham.

He has netted 41 times for his country, with an impressive 36 of them coming in competitive internationals.

Only Wayne Rooney (37) has scored more in the games that count and Kane will be keen to surpass the Manchester United legend as quickly as possible. 

It is unlikely to be the last England record Kane breaks. A major trophy is what he will want from his international career but there is every chance he will end it as his country’s record goalscorer.

Rooney also sits top of that list on 53 goals but is backing England's current talisman to overtake him. 

Speaking last month, the Derby boss said: "I said when I stopped playing that I was fully expecting Harry to get that record.

"He's a fantastic player, a goalscorer, and obviously he's got time on his side.

"I'd be the first to congratulate him. Records are great, of course, but they're there to be broken.

"When Harry does break that record, he deserves all the credit and praise he gets because it's a great honour to hold that record."

Post-international break

If last season is anything to by, Kane usually enjoys his football after returning from England duty.

There were three international breaks in 2020-21 and he scored braces in two of the games that followed. 

He netted four in his next four games last October, while in March he scored the same amount in three games.

But that was in a different side to the one he finds himself in now. And despite the problems under Jose Mourinho, Spurs were more cohesive than they are with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm. 

If Kane is to get back to his best, he needs some help from Nuno. 

Former Spurs striker Clive Allen said: "He'll be really disappointed with the service he has got, inevitably that means he drops deeper.

"He plays that role well, there's no doubt about that, we saw him play it brilliantly last season, but I do believe that restricts the number of opportunities he has had."

Kane's issues are just one of the problems Spurs and Nuno are dealing with.

But if he can come back fresh and firing from England duty, it will be a rare occurrence of a club being happy to have a player away for two weeks.