England absorbs a tough draw and prepares for the Czech Republic. Will the much-criticised Kane make an appearance?

They’re under heavy fire. But they hide so thoroughly that they remain almost unhit. We are not talking about criminals from an action movie, but about the English national team, which is still not even certain to reach the eighth round at the Euros. Will they shake off their surprising draw with Scotland and round off the group with a win over the Czech Republic?

After the 0:0 draw with Scotland, this will be an unexpectedly important game for the English. However, they must win the third and final group round at the European Football Championship in their favour. Or at least a draw. They have not yet secured qualification despite all the odds.

The only team that will stand in their way is the Czech Republic, the team that won the last meeting. Remember? It was 11 October 2019 and substitute Zdenek Ondrasek decided it in our favour, a shocking 2-1 victory.

But even that doesn’t scare Southgate’s squad. Despite the barrage of local media, literally brimming with criticism in recent days for their performance against their British compatriots and island neighbours, England are determined to round off the group with a three-point haul and the ultimate championship.

“I think too much is being made of it all these days,” said Raheem Sterling. “I feel there is more panic outside rather than here at home. I don’t think anybody here at our base is or feels under any undue pressure.”

“We simply can’t look at what’s in the papers or what some experts say. That’s what we have to stick to until the end of the tournament. The more you get into things like that, the more impact they have on you, of course. Anyway, the positive thing is that we can run out on the pitch on Tuesday, make a good win, and the game against the Scots will be completely forgotten,” believes the Manchester City striker.

And know that the English will do anything for that. Not just for confidence and to reassure the fans ahead of the knockout fights, but actually just to get into them. After all, if they lose and the results add up, they could still be left without an eighth-final berth!

On Tuesday night, they will play against Jaroslav Šilhavy’s team with a carefully selected and maximally strong line-up, including the star “under fire”, Harry Kane. “I didn’t want to tell you, but definitely count on him,” revealed forward Gareth Southgate.

“He’s without doubt our most important player. You only have to look at his goalscoring record to see his necessity to the team. Apart from that, he is very necessary in building the game and a lot of other things. I know there is a whirlwind of questions around him right now, but he has been through this at least a hundred times,” reminded the English pilot that this is far from the first time Kane has been a lightning rod for media criticism after a bad match.

“I’ve answered questions like this a few times in the past and Harry has always scored a lot of goals after them, won us a lot of games, and that’s exactly what I expect to happen now.”

Sources: The Athletic, BBC Sport, iSport, Sky Sports