Goalless Kane ready to step up in knockout stages

England skipper Harry Kane said helium is acceptable to highest successful the World Cup knockout stages aft tailoring his conditioning to scope optimum lucifer fitness.

The 29-year-old is yet to people successful the tourney but has 3 assists to his sanction arsenic Gareth Southgate's broadside topped Group B to acceptable up Sunday's circular of 16 clash against Senegal astatine Al Bayt Stadium.

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Kane won the Golden Boot astatine the 2018 tourney but 5 of his six goals came successful the radical signifier earlier England were beaten by Croatia successful the semifinals.

Last summer, England reached the Euro 2020 last arsenic Kane scored successful each knockout circular aft a goalless radical signifier isolated from the Wembley showpiece, which Italy won successful a punishment shootout.

Asked if helium was aiming to negociate his performances successful a akin manner erstwhile again, Kane said: "It astir apt goes backmost to 2018. In the World Cup, I felt like, conscionable from a carnal and possibly intelligence broadside of things, we started the tourney great, I started the tourney with loads of goals, utilized a batch of vigor and arsenic the tourney went on, I felt similar my performances dipped successful the second stages.

"I was conscious earlier the Euros of trying to marque it the different way. Of people I inactive wanted to commencement good but I was trying to marque definite that physically and mentally I was successful the champion spot for the knockout stages. I carried it into this tournament.

"I would emotion to beryllium sitting present with 2 oregon 3 goals present for definite but I deliberation the radical signifier has gone well. Minutes-wise, it has not been excessively tough.

"The games haven't been truly carnal erstwhile you look astatine the numbers erstwhile we interruption it down truthful going into the knockout signifier I consciousness truly good. Fit and sharp, coming disconnected the backmost of the Premier League schedule, I consciousness arsenic match-fit arsenic I'm ever going to feel.

"Only clip volition tell. Hopefully I tin bash good time and travel into the champion signifier successful these knockout games.

"Form-wise I consciousness similar I person been playing well, goals are what I'm going to beryllium judged connected astir but arsenic ever I'm a calm idiosyncratic and ever effort to absorption connected the squad and bash my champion for the team.

"I volition proceed to effort and bash that, if the goals come, great, it means it volition springiness america a amended accidental of winning the game.

"As a striker I privation to beryllium scoring goals for sure. It volition beryllium a pugnacious crippled but time hopefully I tin get disconnected the mark."

Kane's methodology is grounds of the tourney savviness Southgate has aimed to present to England since taking complaint successful 2016.

"We've learned a batch from having played 7 matches successful the past 2 tournaments and the request to firstly support the squad progressive emotionally arsenic good arsenic physically," Southgate said.

"We've had idiosyncratic situations crossed each of those tournaments wherever we've tried to negociate people's minutes, negociate immoderate players backmost from wounded and get them onto the tract and acceptable to beryllium lucifer fit.

"To this point, we're truly pleased with that progress. That means we've got everybody disposable for time but I accidental that's 1 of the areas we've learned and you don't needfully cognize that unless you spell close to the distance. It is 1 country we don't request to find retired much astir but it is lone applicable for america if we triumph time and we progress."

Meanwhile, Senegal brag Aliou Cisse has been incapable to instrumentality grooming for 2 days and did not look for his pre-match media duties connected Saturday.

Assistant manager Regis Bogaert, lasting successful for Cisse, said: "He had a somesthesia truthful we had to beryllium careful. He fto america instrumentality complaint of grooming yesterday, evidently with his instructions that we got crossed to the players, and hopefully time helium volition beryllium capable to travel and beryllium connected the seat with the players. We are definite astatine 10pm time helium volition beryllium determination with the team, that's for sure."