Thomas Tuchel hopes England can learn from Japan loss

Thomas Tuchel hopes England can learn from Japan loss Thomas Tuchel hopes England can learn from their 1-0 loss to Japan but admits the setback ‘hurts’. A poor performance from England saw the Three Lions beaten in their final warm-up fixture before Tuchel names his squad for this summer’s World Cup. In the absence of Harry Kane, who withdrew with a minor injury, an experimental England lineup featuring Phil Foden as a false nine failed to convert their chances.

England had 70% of the possession and 19 shots on goal without scoring at Wembley. A first-half goal from Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma handed Japan the win, as the visitors punished England with a rapid counter-attack. Tuchel said the defeat was ‘painful’ for his team but outlined his hope that England can learn from their experimentation.

He added that any side in the world would miss the number of key players that England were without, particularly record scorer Kane. “For sure, it hurts,” he said. “It’s always painful to lose, and to lose at home hurts a lot.

I think we got punished for not a lot, for one counter in the first half. “We need these matches. It’s a tough opponent.