Failed experiment as England get grim glimpse of life without Kane
In even more desperation, as England tried to offer some belated threat, the bankruptcy of ideas was such that it was back to lumping long balls to substitute Harry Maguire in the hope physical force and height might disrupt a composed Japanese defence. It was ugly, basic - on this occasion unsuccessful, although Maguire did have a header cleared off the line by Yukinari Sugawara in a rare moment of danger for Japan's defence. The Football Association labelled these two friendlies a 'Send-Off Series', the last home games before the World Cup.
England got a send-off all right, resounding boos greeting the final whistle before the players went around applauding thousands of empty red seats and the few fans who had bothered to stay. Tuchel will rightly say Uruguay and Japan are the tough tests England required to tune up for the World Cup, but the burning question is still the same and has not been answered. Do England really have a chance without Harry Kane?
He is irreplaceable, the drop-off after him alarming. Kane's outstanding record of 78 goals in 112 games is impressive enough, but in the wider context, since his debut against Lithuania in March 2015, he has either scored or assisted in 32% of England's goals in that period, having an involvement in 95 out of 293 goals. The World Cup represents the short-term future, the most important matter on the horizon, but with Kane turning 33 in July, the long term looks bleak, with few serious contenders as a successor on the horizon.
The great number nine decline - where have England's strikers gone? Harry Maguire posed a belated threat as England resorted to long balls in the closing stages against Japan at Wembley. Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, at Wembley for BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "This is the exact situation no England fan wants.
We've talked about it for over a season with this World Cup coming up. What do England do without Harry Kane? "This is what England and Thomas Tuchel do not want.