Manager Thomas Tuchel admitted Cole Palmer and Phil Foden “struggled to make a difference” during England’s crushing 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley Stadium.
Kaoru Mitoma’s side shot in the first half gave Japan their first win against the Three Lions, but England were booed by the home crowd at both half-time and full-time.
Foden and Palmer were both in crowded positions competing for a place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but England failed to register a shot on target until they both left the field and were substituted in the second half.
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Thomas Tuchel admits Phil Foden and Cole Palmer didn’t create enough shots against Japan when they were given the chance to start for England
Tuchel admitted he wanted Palmer, who was expected to make a cameo appearance in Friday’s game against Uruguay, to play in his preferred number 10 position, but the playmaker wasted the chance and was responsible for Japan’s goal after losing the ball to Mitoma on the halfway line.
Foden, who was used as a false nine on the night and had the fewest touches of any of England’s starters, also failed to make an impression.
England lost 1-0 to Japan at Wembley.
His current record of not scoring for England dates back to October 2023, and currently spans 22 matches.
Asked about the performances of Palmer and Foden, Tuchel said: “I’m not good at talking about individuals, but when you put attacking players on the pitch, you want attacking action, creativity, dribbling, shooting, assisting, and obviously we didn’t have enough.”
“It became difficult to find them in the half-spaces. We played against a deep 5-4-1. We couldn’t fully utilize the width of the field and our attacking players struggled to make a difference in one-on-one situations.”
“Against that formation, you don’t get an advantage through passing, you get it by winning one-on-ones.
“Japan got a little tired in the second half and invested more on the wings to free up the middle, but it was difficult for them to get chances.
“In three camps we didn’t really open up to new guys, but this time we were able to do that. We had to adjust to seven or eight injuries, but I can put it in perspective. That’s the way it is.”
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Marc Gehi feels it is important for England to learn from their defeat to Japan ahead of the World Cup
Tuchel also criticized the full-backs in the defeat
Foden and Palmer weren’t the only players Tuchel criticized in the defeat. The England manager once again selected Ben White, who was booed by England fans, and Nico O’Reilly at full-back.
The England manager then substituted both players for Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento in the opening 10 minutes, saying the initial pairings did not provide the width his team needed in the first half.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford concedes the opening goal in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium in London.
“We played two No. 6s and two No. 10s. That’s what we thought would give us players when Japan doesn’t have players,” Tuchel added.
“It was about putting Morgan (Rogers) and (Anthony) Gordon on the last line. But we didn’t have enough width. The full-backs didn’t get involved enough up front.”
“This put everything through the middle, but it was too crowded and didn’t work.
“We wanted to give Cole Palmer the chance to perform in his ideal position. Then we tried pushing Morgan more and putting Jarrod Bowen up higher. There was a lot of overlap and underlap for the full-backs, so it was a little bit easier.”
“The players were up to the challenge, but it’s difficult. We’re trying to learn something in two days, so I’ll be in charge of that, but the group is new and some of the group heard my voice and principles for the first time.”
What’s next for England?
The friendly against Japan was Tuchel’s last chance to see his players on the international stage before handing in the final 26-man World Cup squad on May 30.
England will play World Cup warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica before their opening match against Croatia on June 17th.
