Drop deep, cash in - why Kane can be England's free-scoring false nine

By

Football tactics correspondent

There has been much debate about how England should use Harry Kane. But Thomas Tuchel's opinion is clear. He wants his captain to drop deep.

Pundits and fans alike have questioned Kane's positioning in the past. Why, they ask, would such a prolific scorer not stay in the box when England need goals?

But dropping deep might enable Kane to strike gold at this World Cup. Explaining why requires a look at the role he has been playing for Bayern over the past few months.

Kane has just enjoyed the most prolific season of his club career. In 51 games for Bayern Munich, he scored 61 goals.

It is a ridiculous tally for any striker, never mind one tasked with contributing to a side's build-up play as he has for Bayern over the season just completed.

England fans will want to see this goal-happy version of Kane in the World Cup. But it is worth noting that he achieved his remarkable total playing in an increasingly free role, encouraged to drop as deep as his full-backs at times.

And so Tuchel has decided that building the squad around this version of Kane makes the most sense.

Bayern lacked a natural link player between their defence and attack for much of the season because of the injuries that plagued midfielder Jamal Musiala.

Kane was asked to drop in to solve this problem.

"When Jamal's playing, it's a bit different. Getting the ball off defenders, driving... when we were playing together, it was better for him to go and do that," Kane said.

"This season, it's allowed me to play a little bit deeper, use my qualities in that sense of turning and playing it forward, then arriving later in the box."

Kane executed the role brilliantly, possessing a remarkable passing quality from deep - helping find runners ahead of him in dangerous attacking positions.

When Bayern played the ball back, that would entice opposing teams defending deep to step up the pitch as a unit.

Kane then dropping back to show for the ball did one of two things:

Champions League winners Paris St-Germain have similarly used Ousmane Dembele in this roaming false nine role to much success, posing difficulties for teams looking to man-mark.

Bayern, with Luis Diaz, and PSG with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, used high-energy right-footed left wingers to attack the space that opened up centrally when their strikers dropped deep. Diaz scored 26 goals during the season, Kvaratskhelia 19.

Tuchel has understandably opted for the same profile of left-winger at this World Cup in Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford.

With both Bayern and Paris St-Germain finding success using this approach in the Champions League, it appears a viable tactic against high-level opposition and one England will adopt against stronger nations too.

All of this helps explain why Kane's movements when dropping deep improve his side's general play.

But how do we explain Kane's impressive scoring tally?

As contradictory as it sounds, moving Kane away from the box during the build-up helped him arrive in better positions to finish.

Both England and Bayern look to unlock teams through push-and-pull movements.

The idea is to attract the opposition towards certain areas of the pitch before exploiting the space that opens up elsewhere.

We have established that when Kane drops deep, teams push up, and there is space in behind for players to attack.

Alternatively, when both England and Bayern get the ball up the pitch quickly, teams drop back, closer to their own goal, leaving space in front of the defence.

This can be seen when a direct long pass is played, with teams looking to protect their goal and get back into a more defensive position.

It is also done through running.

A winger dribbling past their man down the line may force defensive teams closer to their goal, one of the reasons Tuchel has selected Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke.

The off-the-ball movement of a player running in behind can have the same impact. Nico O'Reilly has done this to good effect from full-back and Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Declan Rice have done the same from midfield.

With teams pushed back, Kane often joins the attacks late, leaving him unmarked in front of opposition defences.

From here, he has had more time and space to get shots away - and although they are typically from further out, his ball striking ability means these result in goals at a prolific rate.

When Tuchel's squad was announced there were questions raised around the exclusion of some big names - but in terms of getting the best out of Kane, it make more sense.

The absences of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Adam Wharton appear to leave England without direct passing quality from deep. But John Stones' inclusion at centre-back, paired with Kane's role as a deep passer, makes up for this.

A squad built on physical qualities – in height, running and intensity – could falter in the humidity and heat, but Tuchel has opted for pairings that match up in profile, giving England the chance to rotate often without losing the balance of their side.

With Kane vacating the penalty area, surrounding him with runners who get into the box frequently, such as Gordon, Bellingham, Rice and O'Reilly, gives England more scoring options.

England have used Kane in a fluid role before but they haven't always built the squad around him in the most balanced manner.

The squad Tuchel has selected looks to have addressed those problems. The England boss will hope his side are as effective as Bayern have been in attack over the past season.