Will Roy Hodgson Start Tottenham’s Harry Kane or Not?

With questions mounting on whether or not Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane should be on corner kick duties, another question has been asked: should Kane start against Wales?

This is less about Harry Kane not showing up against Russia with any build-up play or scoring any goals when he had a chance. Instead it’s based on the 22-year-old’s fitness level and his fit in Roy Hodgson’s tactics moving forward.

Related Story: Trying to Explain Why Tottenham's Kane is on Set Pieces

Sure, Kane is one of the more fit players on the England squad, as well as on Tottenham’s team, but in just one year he has made too many appearances with no rest since he made his first team debut.

Here’s some food for thought, Harry Kane made 51 appearances in all competitions during the 2014-15 campaign. That’s a lot of games in which a then-21-year-old played in, except for the key fact that he didn’t become a full-time starter until November 2014.

If he started for the entire season, there’s a good chance that Kane makes close to 60 appearances in his first year as Mauricio Pochettino’s number one striker.

In his second season with Tottenham — his first full year as a starter — Harry Kane made 50 appearances in all competitions. That is now 101 games for Spurs alone. When you add in his caps for England, it’s currently at 13 and counting.

So in total? 114 games in one year… without any rest. No matter how fit someone actually is, they need some rest. Which is why a striker must be signed this summer otherwise Harry Kane could be on the verge of another 50-plus appearances for Tottenham in three consecutive years.

Outside of needing adequate rest, another reason why Kane’s spot in Roy Hodgson’s starting XI could be up for grabs is because of Hodgson’s tactics. The Telegraph’s Alistair Tweedale, wrote a fascinating article about Harry Kane and Dele Alli’s roles and how it’s not working in the duo’s strengths.

It seems more counterproductive if anything. It’s not suited for the Tottenham striker to have no help from his midfielders like at the club level. With Spurs, Kane doesn’t just wait for the ball to be delivered into the penalty area, he helps with build-up play.

With Dele Alli, his role with England sees him playing deeper than having the freedom to roam around like Mauricio Pochettino has given him at Spurs.

"“Kane is Hodgson’s first choice number nine but he had a quiet night against Russia on Saturday in England’s Euro 2016 opener, only really coming under scrutiny for a lack of involvement, besides, quite bewilderingly, retaining his role as corner-taker,” Alistair Tweedale wrote.More from Hotspur HQStorybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s RicharlisonTottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivatedTottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield UnitedTottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield UnitedTottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help“Otherwise, Kane didn’t really do much wrong in Marseille. He spent much of the game isolated with wingers Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling instructed to hug the touchlines with Dele Alli in a more withdrawn role than he plays at Tottenham.”“The rigidity a Hodgson midfield has simply does not suit Kane.”"

Harry Kane had a respectable 34 touches against Russia, so he’s quite involved with the offense. The only downside is where those touches are coming from, and that’s not in Russia’s penalty box, which is a major problem for Hodgson’s team when your best striker is not getting the opportunities to score.

"“The Tottenham striker had 34 touches against Russia, but not a single one of those was inside the opposition penalty area,” Tweedale continued. “He touched the ball more times in the England box.”“Playing for Spurs he isn’t by any means limited to work inside the area. He does plenty in helping their build-up, dropping deep to link play and create, but the fact remains that his best work is done near goal.“Twenty-three of his 25 goals last season were struck from inside the area.”"

Alli and Kane have a natural understanding with one another at the club level as the former set up the latter seven times. Across Europe, Dele Alli’s seven assists to Harry Kane is only bested by Ángel Di María to Zlatan Ibrahimović (eight) and Lionel Messi to Luis Suárez (nine).

Which means they’re better suited by having the freedom to play to their strengths like they do with Tottenham than being stationary members on an England squad and waiting for things to develop without their help.

Something that didn’t worked against Russia obviously.

All of this is to say, if Roy Hodgson’s tactics is heavily reliant on a striker playing by himself and waiting for opportunities to just appear, with Harry Kane not a part of the build-up play, perhaps Jamie Vardy should start instead with Kane on the bench coming in later as a substitute.

Next: Dier and Kane Reflect on Bale's Time with Tottenham

"“The question, then, is whether Hodgson should stick with Kane, or perhaps look to another 20-goal forward who is rather more used to being isolated in Jamie Vardy,” Alistair Tweedale added.“The Leicester City man tirelessly ran channels and chased lost causes last season and he would be a genuine alternative approach should England want it.”"

It’s worth a shot to play somehow who is better suited to Hodgson’s current tactics than trying to force someone who isn’t.

That’s how a coach or manager should use his players — especially his best goalscorer on the team — by playing to their strengths.