BERLIN, Germany — Harry Kane and Memphis Depay have scored 111 international goals between them and came into Euro 2024 with goalscoring duties for England and the Netherlands respectively. Yet as the two nations prepare to battle it out in Dortmund on Wednesday for a place in the final, they have done so despite their star strikers, rather than because of them.
Both England and Holland have reached the semi-finals without playing to their full potential, despite boasting squads packed with Champions League talent, and the team that wins could be the one to crack the code of how to get their most consistent goalscorer to perform.
Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer with 65 goals in 96 games, while Memphis is second on the Netherlands’ all-time list behind former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie (50 in 102). But at Euro 2024, both teams have had a history of misfortune. While they have scored – Kane scored twice for England (against Denmark and Slovakia) and Memphis scored against Austria – their individual performances have been so poor that managers Gareth Southgate and Ronald Koeman must decide whether to back their long-term records or act on what they saw in Germany.
The old maxim that “form is temporary and class is permanent” is a good slogan, but when the stakes are so high, the here and now may be the most important criterion. “I thought he [Kane] “He's done a great job for the team,” Southgate said after Kane registered just 27 touches, without scoring, in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland. “He's maybe not flowing, as he's getting into the deep areas, but he's still playing a huge role for the group.
“He's leading the team incredibly well. He's a very positive influence in the camp. He's guiding the young players through everything the team has had to deal with in the early stages of the tournament.”
Southgate could be accused of offering weak praise for Kane with those comments. At no point does he speak of Kane's goal threat, his movement or his contribution in the final third of the pitch.
Since the start of Euro 2024, Kane has managed to touch the penalty area just 23 times in 464 minutes. Both of his goals came from inside the six-yard box, but Kane's habit of tracking back to find the ball has meant he spends too much time outside the areas where he is most needed – a problem identified by former England striker and Premier League all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer.
“When the team is under pressure, he [Kane] “He's trying to come back and help,” Shearer told the Rest Is Football podcast. “He did that a few times.” [against Switzerland] And there was a stage where he ran 50 or 60 yards to pick up the trail. I admire him for that, but other people can do that.
“If it were me, I'd say 'he plays in the 18-yard box'. He's struggling. I don't know if he has any problems, if he has any injuries or what, but he's struggling to have a big impact on the game.”
Although Shearer stopped short of asking Southgate to leave Kane out, others have been less supportive of the England captain. “I think he [Kane] “I'm going to start, but if I was Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins, I'd be upset,” former England striker Steve McManaman told ESPN. “But he [Southgate] “He will stick to his tried and trusted method because he always has.”
Meanwhile, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright believes time is running out for Southgate to be bold with Kane.
“He [Kane] “He's not accurate, he's not in the box and we now know that Ivan Toney can get to that level and take a penalty,” Wright told The Overlap. “We need someone who is up there, linking up, holding up and causing problems for his defenders. At some point, we're going to have to make that decision about what's going on; we can't just wait for Harry Kane to score. At some point, we might run out of time in that regard.”
Memphis’s problems with the Netherlands are different to Kane’s with England. Despite his poor performances, Kane has scored two goals in four opportunities and has an expected goals (xG) total of 2.0 at Euro 2024. His problem is not being in the right place often enough, while Depay has had opportunities but failed to take them. The 30-year-old, now a free agent after his contract with Atletico Madrid expired on June 30, has had 10 chances in Germany and scored just once, performing noticeably below his xG of 1.96.
Former Dutch striker Marco van Basten, the goalscoring hero of his country's Euro '88 triumph in Germany, believes Memphis is simply not built to play the centre-forward role Koeman has given him.
“He works very hard, but he's not lucky,” Van Basten said. “You can see it's not his best position. He's a creative footballer, but not a striker or a goalscorer. I would keep him in the team, though.”
Wim van Hanegem, another former Dutch great, has been more critical of Memphis, suggesting he needs to work harder for the team.
“Koeman has already said that he needs the best version of Memphis to go far in this Euro and he is absolutely right,” he said. “He just needs to chase defenders more fanatically, keep possession and give the Dutch a point of contact in attack.”
Memphis is also a controversial character. Unlike Kane, who wears the England captain's armband and is regarded as a highly reliable team player, Memphis has spent his career at some of Europe's top clubs, including Manchester United and Barcelona, where his attitude has been questioned by managers, teammates and fans alike.
There has been a debate in the Netherlands about whether Memphis should be replaced by Wout Weghorst, a much more limited player but with a history of important goals. Weghorst has scored just once so far in this tournament, but the former Manchester United striker is highly regarded by his team-mates.
“Thanks to Weghorst, you create a bit more chaos in the box and they have to defend more, so I think Wout helped a lot,” said defender Nathan Aké after the 1.98m striker came on as a substitute in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Turkey. “It's a nightmare to play against him. He's strong, he's a nuisance in the box and he fights for everything. He runs away from everything, so for us he's a big asset.”
1:07
Laurens: “Individual brilliance is what drives England”
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens analyse England's Euro 2024 semi-final clash with the Netherlands.
However, the chances of Memphis being replaced by Weghorst are slim. Even after Weghorst scored a late winner in the opening group game against Poland, Koeman said he had been frank with the 31-year-old in telling him he was more useful coming off the bench. Despite the doubts being expressed about Memphis as the focal point of his team, Koeman believes he remains the best option.
“Memphis is a great asset to the team,” Koeman said. “He's playing very well. This team needs him a lot and we have to give him the ball. He's had a lot of injuries and of course he has to play better, we're all clear about that. But I have a good feeling because he's a very good player. You want to help and support the players, but Memphis doesn't lack confidence. He's sure he can score.”
Confidence has never been an issue for Memphis during his career. After all, he famously turned up to a reserve game at Manchester United in a Rolls-Royce and wearing a cowboy hat, after being left out by manager Louis van Gaal. He is aware of his critics at Euro 2024, but is unlikely to be cowed by them ahead of the England game.
“I don't think we should talk about numbers,” he said before the 2-1 win over Turkey. “It's a question of timing. But I can handle criticism well, I'm used to it.”
On Sunday, Kane or Memphis will take to the field at Berlin's Olympiastadion, one game away from becoming European champions, and the reason could come down to them alone. Both have the pedigree and ability to score the goals that will take their country to the Euro 2024 final, but the tournament is waiting for them to show up.
If one of them manages to do it on Wednesday in Dortmund, everything that has happened so far at Euro 2024 will be forgotten. For whoever misses out, it will be a tournament full of regret and what could have been.
