England loses to Japan 0-1: Tuchel perplexed by the attacking line

The defeat against Japan right at Wembley presents Thomas Tuchel with a genuine headache regarding the squad, particularly England's attacking line. Time is not waiting for the German coach, as the 2026 World Cup is fast approaching.

No one is criticizing Tuchel solely due to the disappointing results in the two friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan. However, it is time for him and his players to face the reality that England's path to winning the 2026 World Cup is fraught with obstacles. Talent is not lacking, but selecting the right individuals remains a problem.

The day Foden and Palmer underperformed

It was not at all excessive for Tuchel to want to utilize the match against Japan for valuable experimentation. One such instance was deploying Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer in the starting lineup. Among them, Foden was chosen to play as the highest attacker for England instead of utilizing a proper number nine like Dominic Solanke. Rogers, Foden, and Palmer all excel in the number 10 position. The outcome was highly disappointing. All three performed as if their form and confidence had hit rock bottom. Particularly for Palmer, this was a performance that failed to convince everyone that he is ready for his first World Cup in his career. A disastrous loss of possession from the Chelsea forward was enough for Kaoru Mitoma to score the sole goal for Japan. Then followed inaccurate passes and a poorly executed free kick. And Foden? Pushing him up as a false nine was not an effective choice. He appeared disadvantaged in one-on-one duels, wasting quality crosses from teammate Nico O'Reilly. He contributed no shots among England's 19 attempts.

The fact that Foden and Palmer were substituted after nearly an hour of play surprised no one. It only showed that this pair remains far from the default choices expected to start in the 2026 World Cup, such as Rogers, Jude Bellingham, or Bukayo Saka. If both do not quickly regain their form in the remainder of this Premier League season, the scenario of them watching their teammates compete in the USA, Canada, and Mexico is almost inevitable.

What will England be like without Kane?

The issues with Palmer and Foden are just the surface of the problem concerning backup options for England's attack. Everyone is wondering what Tuchel will do if, on a bad day, Harry Kane cannot play in the 2026 World Cup. The Bayern Munich forward was unable to play against Japan due to a minor injury in the final training session. This does not mean Kane is Tuchel's excuse for the limitations of England's attack. In the recent loss to Japan, he employed a 4-2-2-2 formation as a Plan B. Besides Palmer playing as a number 10 and Foden as a false nine, Gordon and Rogers were deployed as wing forwards. But what was seen at Wembley indicates Tuchel needs a proper center forward to share duties with Kane. Ollie Watkins was not called up for the March gathering, while Danny Welbeck also did not appear. These two names are likely targets for Tuchel in England's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup. England cannot rely too heavily on Kane as seen at EURO 2024. Experiments in the two matches against Uruguay and Japan, from Solanke and Calvert-Lewin to Foden, have not met expectations.

Besides the pressing issue in attack, Tuchel also cannot be satisfied with England's two wing-back positions. Ben White had his first start after four years, but the performance of the Arsenal defender still fell short of the required standard to secure a starting spot on the right flank. On the opposite side, O'Reilly, despite contributing in attack, frequently lost possession early in the match. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, in his return to the starting lineup, conceded his first goal after 922 minutes of keeping a clean sheet since October 2024.

England still has two more friendlies against New Zealand and Croatia before officially embarking on the 2026 World Cup campaign with the opening match against Croatia on June 17. But Tuchel is racing against time to address shortcomings in the squad and finalize the list of 26 deserving names for the ambition of conquering the World Cup title for the first time after six decades.