With the new experimental squad booed after a 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley, England’s World Cup hopefuls did little to convince manager Thomas Tuchel of their worth after announcing their squad just two months later.
By the time the Three Lions next face New Zealand on June 6, Tuchel will have already announced his first squad. Their second performance in four days lacked rhythm, both as a unit and as individuals, and there was little optimism about the quality beyond the first 11 games.
While the first-ever loss to Japan in a friendly didn’t mean much in itself, the Three Lions’ performance certainly raised more questions than answers, and the home fans who remained at Wembley to boo the team were left frustrated with the missed opportunity to build momentum and optimism heading into the World Cup.
The Three Lions limited themselves to just three shots on target for the entire game, but looked generally weak defensively. Kaoru Mitoma’s 23rd-minute winner was Japan’s first chance after England had dominated early on, but the visitors grew in confidence as the home side struggled in front of goal and missed several chances to extend their lead at half-time.
Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma scores Japan’s winning goal with his ninth international goal.
Tuchel’s experimental line-up may go some way to explaining England’s overall lack of cohesion, but apart from Elliott Anderson, few players have impressed individually and, ironically, the players who had the most to prove to the manager were also the ones who showed him the least.
Ben White, a surprise late call-up to the squad, was left out to allow Keito Nakamura to feed Mitoma for the winning goal, while Phil Foden, who Tuchel had talked about as an option as a false nine, was completely ineffective in his makeshift role and had the fewest touches of any of England’s starters before being sent off in time.
While Foden has barely performed on the international stage, the same cannot be said for Cole Palmer. However, his form at Chelsea carried over into an England shirt as he did not give the ball away well in the build-up to the Mitoma goal and created fewer chances than Jarrod Bowen, who came on as a substitute for the final 30 minutes.
Substitute Lewis Hall came closest to cheering the 80,000-strong home crowd with a late shot from the near post, but the fact that Zion Suzuki’s comfortable low save was one of the few moments of encouragement for a lackluster hosts who were unsurprised by the loud jeers from the stands as they left the pitch speaks to England’s lack of bright spots.
Guehi: England ‘need to be realistic’ from friendly in March
England defender Marc Guehi told ITV:
“Obviously it’s disappointing but we have to be realistic. This is why we play games like this at this stage of the season and we need to be tested as a team.”
“If we have the right perspective, these games will help us build, get better, improve, go to the next stage, the World Cup, and get ready.”
What’s next for England?
England will next play World Cup warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica in the United States on June 6 and 12, before opening the tournament against Croatia in Texas on June 17.
