England's Kane Problem and the Tottenham Soap Opera: Readers Have Plenty to Say

England's display against Japan last night was dire—genuinely, properly dire. The sort of performance that makes you question whether the nation's entire tactical setup revolves around one man: Harry Kane. And therein lies the rub.

When the Three Lions stormed through qualification with a perfect record, they looked genuinely threatening. Fast forward to now, after draws with Uruguay and defeats to Japan, and suddenly the wolves in Group L are circling. England are second favourites to win the World Cup according to the betting odds, which tells you everything you need to know about how quickly things can unravel.

The set-piece work was particularly galling. "If corners and set-pieces are so basic," one Norfolk reader asked, "why are England so shit at them?" It's a fair question. Your Sunday league side would've managed better.

There was one bright spot, though. Lewis Hall, the Chelsea left-back, came on and immediately looked the part—crisp crosses, a decent effort that Zion Suzuki had to palm away, and genuine energy throughout his cameo. Some match ratings barely mentioned him whilst praising a rather ineffective Nico O'Reilly. Hall staked his claim for the left-back spot in that brief appearance.

The real concern? Kane. Should he pick up an injury between now and the World Cup, England could be in serious trouble. One reader from Tunbridge Wells suggested dusting off the cotton wool-filled crate that TFI Friday used for Gazza back in 1998. Hoddle presumably locked it away in a desert somewhere, but it might be time to dig it up. Protecting England's "large tongued saviour at all costs" has never seemed more urgent.

Thomas Tuchel has time to get things right before the tournament, though. There's no need to panic just yet.

Tottenham: A Club Cursed by Its Own Cycle

Meanwhile, the Tottenham circus rolls on. The appointment of Roberto De Zerbi has divided opinion, with one theory suggesting that Spurs are simply caught in an endless cycle of managerial disappointment.

Consider the evidence. Mourinho eventually had his knives out. Postecoglou took the podcast route to air grievances, his observations pointed and barbed. Conte didn't even wait to flush before fleeing. What makes anyone think De Zerbi—zen, chill fellow that he is—won't reach identical conclusions? Maybe the money will buy some goodwill, maybe they'll clink glasses if they avoid the drop, but the Tottenham osmosis is trademark inevitable.

One theory suggests De Zerbi, like Frank Lampard before him, came from a well-run Premier League club and won't find that environment at Spurs. With the new stadium a potential financial millstone, a drop in playing investment was always likely. Why expect an uptick now?

Others are suggesting a return for Ange Postecoglou, apparently forgetting that he spectacularly failed at Forest this very season after nearly relegating Tottenham last year. He's not a Premier League manager. Ange-ball is nonsense. He ran players into the ground—Kulusevski and Maddison are still missing—and wasted all his credit after 35 minutes of the Brighton match by reverting to lumping it up to Richarlison. His Overlap appearance only confirmed what many suspected: he blamed everyone but himself and ignored his Forest disaster entirely.

Some Spurs fans are calling for Pochettino's return, arguing that only he can change the mood at the ground. His form when he left was relegation-level, but his disillusionment stemmed from Levy ignoring his pleas for the "painful rebuild." It's never been this toxic.

The Relegation Question

Finally, a debate has erupted over whether enjoying a rival's relegation is acceptable. One reader dismissed the notion that taking pleasure in West Ham's potential drop is somehow cruel or inappropriate.

"If you take no pleasure in our downfall," they argued, "what are we doing all this for?" The tribalism, the songs, the chants, the colours, the office banter—this is what bonds football fans together. It's the foundation of the entire sport. Polite clapping and scarves with two teams on them are symptoms of a game that's lost its way.

If West Ham go down, mockery and snide comments are coming. If Spurs go down, songs will be sung and drinks will be raised. That's football. That's banter. That's what makes the next victory taste sweeter.

One reader was blunt: "I wish Spurs nothing but darkness. Each and every defeat brings a smile to my face and a spring to my step." Another simply added: "Wasn't that bothered before, but I am now very keen for Spurs to drop."

That's football fandom in a nutshell.