By: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
England manager Thomas Tuchel said it is completely natural for the national team to depend on Harry Kane after England suffered a 1–0 defeat to Japan in a friendly match played without their captain and leading striker.
Japan secured victory at Wembley Stadium through a goal from Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, leaving England without a win during the international break after their 1–1 draw against Uruguay the previous week.
England’s recent friendly record at Wembley has also declined. Since the beginning of 2024, they have managed just one win in six friendly matches at the stadium, drawing twice and losing three. This contrasts sharply with their strong record between 2014 and 2023, when they lost only once in 17 friendlies at Wembley, winning 12 and drawing four.
Despite the defeat, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford reached a notable milestone before conceding, as Mitoma’s goal ended his run of 922 minutes without conceding for England. It was the first time he had been beaten since October 2024 in a match against Greece.
England created several chances but struggled to convert them into goals. They produced an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.99 from 19 shots, with only four attempts hitting the target. Notably, England failed to register a single shot on target in the first half of a friendly for the first time since November 2017 against Germany.
The team’s attacking struggles were evident without Kane, with three of their four shots on target coming from corner situations in the final 15 minutes. However, Tuchel dismissed concerns about overreliance on the striker.
He argued that every top national team depends on its key players, comparing England’s situation to other football nations that rely heavily on their star players.
Tuchel admitted England lacked attacking sharpness and physical presence in the first half, explaining that the team played too narrowly and failed to use the width of the pitch effectively. He noted that the team improved in the second half by playing wider, taking more risks, and creating better chances, but they were unable to finish their opportunities.
The England manager acknowledged that losing at home was painful but said the team was punished for a single counter-attack and emphasized that matches like this are important for development, especially when several key players were unavailable.
