Harry Kane Central To England, Says Tuchel After Japan Loss

England’s 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley Stadium highlighted how much the side depend on Harry Kane, yet Thomas Tuchel described that reliance as normal for a leading striker as England closed a difficult international break without a win from two home friendlies.

Brighton player Kaoru Mitoma scored the decisive goal in the friendly, ending a long clean-sheet sequence for Jordan Pickford and leaving England with just one victory from six home friendlies at Wembley in 2024, following the previous 1-1 draw against Uruguay.

Tuchel dismissed concerns about building the attack around Kane, drawing comparisons with other major national teams. "Well, why would Argentina not rely on [Lionel] Messi or Portugal not rely on Cristiano Ronaldo? This is totally normal," said the England boss, stressing that dependence on elite forwards is part of international football.

England created 19 attempts against Japan but produced only 0.99 expected goals, with just four efforts on target. It was the first friendly since the November 2017 match against Germany in which England failed to register a single shot on target during the first half, underlining the lack of cutting edge without Kane.

Recent Wembley form has dipped compared with previous years. Between 2014 and 2023, England lost only one of 17 home friendlies, winning 12 and drawing four. Since the beginning of 2024, however, England have recorded one win, two draws and three defeats from six friendlies at the stadium.

Mitoma’s goal also ended an extended defensive milestone. Pickford had not conceded for England since the match against Greece in October 2024, a sequence that lasted 922 minutes. That run came to an end when Japan struck on a first-half counter-attack, converting one of few clear opportunities created by the visitors.

England’s threat increased only late in the contest. Three of the four shots on target arrived from corners during the final 15 minutes, when Tuchel’s side pushed more players forward. Even with that pressure, England could not find an equaliser, extending a frustrating period in front of goal at home.

Tuchel pointed to absences and tactical changes when assessing the loss. "Key figures left camp for us, and we saw that a bit. We lacked a punch. In the first half, we played way too narrow; we didn’t want that, but we made the pitch too narrow for ourselves. In the second half, we were more dynamic, we used the width more with our wingers and full-backs, which is what we wanted to do the whole time. We took more risks and had chances, but we could not convert. For sure, it hurts. It’s always painful to lose, and to lose at home hurts a lot. We got punished for not a lot, for one counter-attack in the first half. We need these matches; we know it is a tough opponent, and we had several players not available. A new formation again, we tried a lot of stuff, and we need to learn."

The England boss underlined that the fixture list and injuries brought experimentation, with another new formation tested against strong opposition. Tuchel framed the Japan friendly, and the Uruguay draw before it, as important preparation matches from which England must analyse the data and adjust, especially around attacking structure when Kane is absent.