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Gareth Southgate‘s England hit a new low as the Three Lions were held to a 1-1 draw against Denmark. This is a colossal blow for the team, considering fans expected the team to punch their ticket to the knockouts after the final whistle. Despite England scoring the opening goal in the contest thanks to Harry Kane, the side was behind Denmark for most of the contest.

Experts had divided opinions on England’s performance with many criticizing head coach Gareth Southgate for his poor tactics. However, former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand took out his frustrations on England skipper Harry Kane, claiming the striker was not doing enough for his team. Ferdinand told BBC Sport, “I’d be going mad [at Kane]. I’d be screaming. I couldn’t have my center-forward not filling in with the same workload that the other players are putting in.”

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He added, “I need to see the same workload and intensity [from Kane]. Put their center-half under pressure like I’m receiving as an England defender!”

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However, Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who was on the expert panel alongside Ferdinand and Micah Richards, quickly pointed out the mistake in the former defender’s opinion. Frank claimed it was indeed Southgate’s setup that was not making the most of Harry Kane. The manager then added that people who play with Harry Kane know what his game is and they make the runs behind him when he pushes into the box.

Jamie Carragher backs Thomas Franks’s assessment of Harry Kane

The Brentford boss was not the only one who felt the same about Harry Kane. Former English star Jamie Carragher also jumped to the striker’s defense, claiming everything Frank stated about the Bayern Munich star was 100% true. Carragher also pointed out that Kane had done the job for the team, but it was the midfield that failed to show up and deliver for their team.

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The former Liverpool star questioned Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice for playing too deep. Carragher stated, “Trent & Rice are far too deep when Denmark has the ball, they are too concerned with what’s behind them. They need to stop what’s in front of them. Center-backs need to be screaming at them to get out to enable them to push out.”

While Harry Kane did have a subpar night inside, the striker’s goal helped England walk away with a point at the end of the night. It will be interesting to see how things go from here, as England now needs a draw over Slovenia to make it into the knockouts.