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Topics: Olivier Giroud, France, Football World Cup, Harry Kane, Arsenal, England
Chris Byfield
Topics: Olivier Giroud, France, Football World Cup, Harry Kane, Arsenal, England
England captain Harry Kane has been told to “learn” from former Arsenal star Olivier Giroud.
Kane is set to lead the line as England take on AFCON champions Senegal in the World Cup round-of-16 this evening at 7pm GMT.
The Tottenham forward is yet to have netted in Qatar, having won the Golden Boot in Russia four-and-a-half years ago.
Meanwhile, Giroud has netted three World Cup goals for France, surpassing Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to become his country’s all-time top scorer with 52 goals.
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The 36-year-old has been maligned throughout his career but is defying age and expectations in Qatar.
Giroud has been one of the stars of the tournament, and will no doubt play a significant role if Les Bleus are to win a second World Cup in succession, and a third in France's history.
While Kane is yet to have scored in Qatar, the Spurs talisman has been directly involved in three of England’s goals.
The England man has the ability to drop deep and link up play, and while this is a valuable skillset, it sometimes means Kane is not in scoring positions.
Speaking on TalkSPORT Danny Murphy claimed that Kane can get off the mark by learning from Giroud’s positioning.
The former Liverpool star said: “Haaland is a great example of a centre-forward, Giroud actually is a better example (for Kane).
“Giroud hasn’t got Kane’s ability to come in deep, so he doesn’t even bother. But when France are dominating the ball, he stays up there and occupies the centre-halves.
“Kane gets drawn in to come back and get some touches and show that he’s a good player because he can do it. But sometimes, he has to play the selfless role and stay higher and not come back deep.”