Following the 2016 European Qualifiers last month, there has been a great deal of focus on England and the new young lion, Harry Kane. Kane, aged 21, featured in England’s 4-0 win over Lithuania and scored after just 79 seconds upon coming on as a substitute. How bright is the future for England? Can Roy Hodgson’s side achieve glory in Europe? Truth be told, we have seen this all before — England supporters getting all excited and full of hope and belief because of one certain youngster in the England squad.
In the 2002 World Cup, England were hoping to leave a mark, with young players like Michael Owen, 21, and Joe Cole, 20, who were full of energy and hungry for national success, as well as captain David Beckham, who was at the peak of his career. Despite having big names in their squad, Sven-Göran Eriksson’s team was knocked out of the World Cup at the quarterfinals stage against Brazil.
In 2006, England’s chance of glory depended on then 20-year-old Wayne Rooney. After winning the group and beating Ecuador in the round of 16, England were up against Portugal. The match offered spectacular football, despite being goalless for the whole 90 minutes. But in the 62nd minute, Rooney was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho. England supporters will surely defend their team by saying that Rooney was only sent off because of his Manchester United partner Cristiano Ronaldo, who played for the opponents Portugal. Initially, the referee was not going to send the England youngster off, until Ronaldo went to action and winded the referee up. What created controversy was that after the sending off, Ronaldo winked at the dug-out.
The 2010 World Cup brought a major change in the England squad. Italian manager Fabio Capello had stepped up to the role. Before the Cup had even started, television pundits and supporters had marked Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere as the man who will help the national team achieve glory. Capello had said that Wilshere was "the future’ for the team. But the so-called future of the team was not called up for the tournament, which saw England humiliated by Germany in a 4-1 defeat.
The England XI continued to change and consisted of a younger generation of players. England were aspiring to be like Germany and produce a talented young team that will dominate the tournament with goals and attractive football. The team consisted of Raheem Sterling, 19, Jack Wilshere, 22, Ross Barkely, 20, and Joe Hart was the first goalkeeper. But new manager Roy Hodgson’s dreams did not go as planned as England ended up at the bottom of their group.
Throughout the years, the England team lacked passion and inspiration. Every England supporter is looking forward to see a different England side in the coming years, with players like Phil Jones and Luke Shaw coming into the defence. But the main focus will be on the Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, who has had a marvellous season so far in the English Premier League, having scored 19 goals in 31 matches. He made his national debut a fortnight ago, and his performance gave something for pundits to talk about and gave that familiar feeling of hope to the England supporters all over the world.
The squad looks good so far, with Joe Hart in goal, a defence with the likes of Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, and a strong midfield, with youngsters such as Ross Barkley and Ryan Mason alongside with the experienced midfielder Michael Carrick. The solid midfield will help deliver the ball towards Andros Townsend, Theo Walcott or Raheem Sterling on the wing, or pass the ball forward to Daniel Sturridge or team skipper Wayne Rooney. Harry Kane has the potential of helping the English team achieve silverware in Europe and the World. The 2016 Euro Cup may be the opportunity for the three lions to leave their mark, and start their road to success.