Harry Kane has told his team to have no regrets as they begin their bid for World Cup glory and believes this is one of their best opportunities to win a major tournament.
Thomas Tuchel’s men kick off their campaign with their Group L opener against old foes Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, hoping this will be the competition where they end 60 years of hurt.
England have tended to go out of major tournaments with some feeling of regret, whether it be losing on penalties, controversial refereeing decisions or a sense of what might have been.
They exited the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Kane missed a late penalty against France and the Bayern Munich striker wants his side to “go for it”.
“Ultimately, for me, the message is just to be free in mind,” he said at a press conference at the Dallas Stadium.
“I think in any tournament you play, if you feel like you go for it, you go for the wins, you go for the pressing, you leave it all out on the pitch, you can hold your head up high, no matter what the outcome is.
“It’s just making sure that all the players feel free in their mind to express themselves, they’re here for a reason, they’ve had the seasons, they’ve had with their club for a reason, and ultimately it’s a chance of the showcase that you know on the bigger stage.”
He continued: “Throughout your career you need a lot of things to go your way and fall into place at the right time, and I feel like it has for this tournament.
“So for sure it’s one of the best opportunities we will have as a team to win it.
“I think everyone is eager to first of all just start well tomorrow and prove that we have the capabilities of going far in the tournament.
“We feel like when were at our very best, we’re an extremely tough team to beat, both from a physical point of view and a technical point of view as well.
“We’re always going to go into every game respectively the opponent, but ultimately trying to play in our way and our style, so that will be what we try and do.”
Having challenged for major trophies under Gareth Southgate, reaching the World Cup semi-final eight years ago and finishing runners-up in the last two European Championships, Kane accepts there is expectation to perform.
The 32-year-old remembers supporting England as a boy and wants to deliver some golden memories.
“We can only do what we do on the pitch,” he said. “I think part of every major tournament is for the fans to be excited, for the fans to enjoy the summer, and I remember being young and singing those songs, watching the games, believing it was our time to win a World Cup.
“So I want the fans to have that excitement, whether they’re here or back home.
“From a player’s point of view, I don’t think we ever get too carried away in that. We know what it’s like to be here, we know what it’s like to be in camp for six to eight weeks with each other.
“There’s a lot that goes into a tournament like this behind the scenes and ultimately our focus is to reach the level we know we can and show that every time we get on the pitch.”
