In Focus: Kane key to Three Lions being crowned kings

Harry Kane has been at the heart of an England side who have scored 12 times at the Qatar World Cup.

Despite playing in a deeper role, the No9 has tallied four goal contributions in as many of games, proving his doubters wrong yet again.

His strike against Senegal puts him one away from levelling Wayne Rooney's record of 52 efforts for the Three Lions.

Despite picking up a knock against Iran, the Tottenham striker has looked determined to go on a become England's all-time top scorer.

With a quarter-final clash against France on the horizon, we turn the spotlight on Kane and his importance to Gareth Southgate's side.

Deeper is better

The argument that Kane drops too deep is one made by those who are unaware of his expertise in a Spurs shirt.

England's second-greatest goalscorer has netted 12 times and provided one assist in the Premier League this season playing in the same role.

The 78-cap international is not blessed with pace and has to find other means of contributing for his country — his range of passing is unrivalled by other centre forwards in Europe.

At the World Cup so far, Kane averages nearly 20 passes per 90 compared to the 15 made by France's leading man Olivier Giroud.

The Three Lions captain has also created four big chances for his side, whereas Giroud has failed to provide one for Les Bleus.

Those numbers suggest that Kane is thriving in a deeper role and has adapted to his lack of speed as he gets older — there is no doubt that he will be a key player in the quarter-finals.

Injury free

The 29-year-old went on record earlier in the year to talk about how he has managed previous injury concerns, stating that he has been working with a specialist to avoid recurring problems.

This has paid dividends for him in recent months to the benefit of both Spurs and England.

Kane has played less than 90 minutes on just one occasion in the Premier League this season and is yet to miss any Champions League action.

He last sat on the sidelines in April of 2021 after taking a knock to his ankle — an issue that has plagued him throughout his top-flight career.

But his conditioning has been superb this season and despite taking a knock in the opening game of the World Cup, Kane was able to play on and feature in every game for England this winter.

At the peak of his powers, the former Leicester loanee is one of Europe's best strikers and will hope to get the better of domestic team-mate Hugo Lloris on Saturday.

Scoring in big games

Kane's record in big games is mixed — he grabbed a goal against Germany in last year's Euros last 16 tie, but has failed to score in any of his four major finals for club and country.

And if England want to win the World Cup, that is likely going to have to change as the 1966 winners will need to be firing on all cylinders from here on in.

Matches against Iran, Wales and the USA can be managed and Southgate has an array of depth and talent within his squad to shake things up.

But against giants such as France, England are coming up against some of the world's best players, particularly in defence.

Kane has the experience and has competed in a Champions League final, so he will be aware of the pressure for him to perform against the reigning champions.

But any complacency will cost both him and his compatriots and some still believe the talisman is not fully fit.

Saving himself

The 6ft 1in finisher did address his goal draught before the victory over Senegal, stating that he does not want to burn himself out for the latter stages.

He said: "I started the tournament [Russia 2018] with loads of goals, used a lot of energy and as the tournament went on, I felt like my performances dipped in the latter stages.

"I was conscious before the Euros of trying to make it the other way. Of course, I still wanted to start well, but I was trying to make sure that physically, and mentally, I was in the best place for the knockout stages.

"I feel as match-fit as I'm ever going to feel. Only time will tell. Hopefully I can do well and come into the best form in these knockout games.

"Form-wise I feel like I have been playing well, goals are what I'm going to be judged on most but as always I'm a calm individual and always try to focus on the team and do my best for the team."

Kane needs a brace against France on Saturday if he is to overtake Rooney and become England's all-time top scorer — he may also land a semi-final berth as a bonus prize.