Harry Kane believes England still have “another level we can reach” despite being two wins away from ending their 60-year wait. World Cup glory.
The Three Lions booked their place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Norway after extra time on Saturday, and will face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
England reached the quarter-finals without performing their best, and coach Thomas Tuchel criticized his team’s performance against Norway after he described their performance as “weak” and admitted that they were “unlucky.”
But Captain Keane says the team shares their coach’s belief that there is more to come.
Tuchel appeared visibly frustrated after the quarter-final win, citing technical errors and a lack of intensity despite England eventually crossing the goal line.
Keane believes these comments stem from the standards the England coach sees every day on the training pitch.
“When he sees us training and sees how close we are and sees what we can do, especially with the players we have, the way we attack, our individual skills, he just wants to see that version of us,” Kane said.
He added: “He knows like everyone else that it is not that simple. We are playing against good opponents and good teams.”
“He’s trying to take it away from us.”
England are still searching for their best form
Kane, who has scored six goals in the tournament and is level with Jude Bellingham as England’s top scorer, believes the team can still improve.
“We know we have another level we can reach,” Kane said.
“We haven’t seen it yet, we’ve shown it in glimpses.
“Against Norway it was in flashes. But we didn’t have the complete control we would like and I feel we can have it.”
England needed extra time to beat Democratic Republic of Congo and Norway in the knockout stages after beating Mexico in a thrilling round of 16 encounter.
The Argentina test awaits in Atlanta
England’s reward for their victory over Norway will be a heavy semi-final clash with Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Wednesday night.
The world champions booked their place in the semi-finals by beating Switzerland 3-1 after extra time and will present England’s toughest test of the tournament so far.
However, Keane finds encouragement in the fact that England have reached this stage while still feeling there is room for improvement.
“We will play against one of the best teams in the world in the semi-finals,” he said.
“So what’s most satisfying is that we reached the semi-finals and still feel like we can improve,” he added.
