Thomas Tuchel has urged patience and perspective following England’s shock 1–0 defeat to Japan in an international friendly at Wembley.
A first-half strike from Kaoru Mitoma handed Japan a historic victory, marking England’s first-ever loss to an Asian side in 11 attempts. The result capped a disappointing international window for the Three Lions, who were also held to a 1–1 draw by Uruguay days earlier.
In what was their final home friendly ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, England struggled to find rhythm and were booed off at full-time after another lacklustre display.
Tuchel, who was without key players including Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, admitted the performance was frustrating but insisted the match offered valuable lessons.
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“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 counterattack in the first half,” he said.
“We need these matches… we tried a lot of things, and we need to learn. We need to put it into perspective, it is not the end of the world.”
With Kane sidelined, Tuchel deployed Phil Foden as a false nine, supported by Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon. However, the tactical setup failed to deliver, with England creating few clear chances against Japan’s disciplined pressing and organised structure.
Tuchel dismissed suggestions that the formation was to blame, instead pointing to a lack of intensity and individual execution.
“It is not about false nine or a normal nine. It is about performance, winning duels and being brave,” he said after substituting Foden and Palmer in the second half.
The former Chelsea boss also highlighted the importance of Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer, drawing comparisons with global stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Why wouldn’t we rely on him? Every team depends on key players. We lacked that punch,” Tuchel added.
He noted slight improvement after the break, with England showing more width and attacking intent, but admitted their inability to convert chances ultimately proved costly.