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It is not a question that Thomas Tuchel wants to entertain at the World Cup this summer but one he had a run at here in what was supposed to be England’s grand Wembley send-off. Can the team thrive against good opposition without Harry Kane? The answer was played out across an increasingly frustrating 90 minutes. It was no.

It was not all about Kane, who missed out because of a sore foot. But it was easy to conflate England’s lack of cutting edge with his absence. Tuchel had highlighted the poor goal returns from his other attacking players before this friendly. They needed to bring more to the party. There was only bluntness.

England had a late flurry, threatening from set pieces mainly after Harry Maguire and Dan Burn were sent on as substitutes. There was nowhere near enough from the team as a creative force in open play.

Jordan Pickford conceded for the first time at international level since October 2024 when he was beaten by Kaoru Mitoma midway through the first half; the goalkeeper’s incredible run stopped at 922 minutes. And Japan saw the victory home in the closing stages.

Tuchel has played three nations ranked in Fifa’s top 20; each time in friendlies. There was the 3-1 loss to Senegal, who are No 14, before last Friday’s 1-1 draw against Uruguay (No 17). Now this, against 18th-placed Japan. The England fans who stayed until the final whistle – and there were a good number of empty seats – booed with feeling. Tuchel started with a handful of likely starters for the opening World Cup tie against Croatia on 17 June but he also had the chance to road test a few options. In the absence of Kane, whose problem came “out of nothing,” according to Tuchel, the most intriguing was Phil Foden as a central attacker.

It was a fluid system, Morgan Rogers drifting inside and Foden and Cole Palmer more like twin No 10s, a highly mobile if unorthodox partnership at the sharp end of things. There was a zip about England at the outset, plenty of smart little triangles. This is what happens when you load the lineup with technical players. And yet it was hard not to see the flipside, the vulnerability out of possession, when Japan stormed up the middle in the 23rd minute to take the lead. The goal was all about Mitoma. He started the move by nicking the ball off Palmer, he drove it with a surge past the flat-footed Kobbie Mainoo and he finished it after getting a low return pass from Keito Nakamura on the left. Japan worked it slickly after Mitoma had forced the turnover, getting him up and away. There was plenty to like about them in their 3-4-2-1 shape. The movement, the comfort in possession and, as importantly, their discipline out of it.

England went close at a 12th minute corner, Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Marc Guéhi, who captained the team, all seeing shots blocked in quick succession. There was the moment shortly after Mitoma’s breakthrough when Elliott Anderson jinked inside and shaped a lovely curler against the crossbar. Anderson was positive.

It felt more reflective of England’s first-half frustration when Nico O’Reilly stood up a cross up from the left for Foden in the middle. He was well-placed in front of goal but never likely to jump high enough to make the header count. The damage at the interval could have been worse. Mainoo struggled and when he played a loose pass on 42 minutes, Kaishu Sano sent Ayase Ueda through. The shot took a slight deflection off Ezri Konsa and came back off the crossbar.

England toiled after the restart, Japan much the better team, looking to expose O’Reilly’s weakness to the long diagonal over his shoulder. Ritsu Doan got away from him in the 51st minute and it needed a smart save from Pickford at his near post to deny him. Japan were close to getting in up the right again and Guéhi also needed to block to keep out Junya Ito.

Tuchel made changes, four of them at once just before the hour, including the removal of Foden and Palmer. A rating for the experiment? Four out of 10. On came Dominic Solanke and Bowen, who went to the right. Rogers moved inside.

Nakamura curled just past the far post in the 69th minute; another near miss for Japan and Tuchel wondered if any of his substitutes could save the day. Marcus Rashford drew a save out of Zion Suzuki after a corner and Maguire, with his first touch after coming on, butted a header goalwards from another one. Yukinari Sugawara, another replacement, headed off the line.

There was more. Lewis Hall worked Suzuki with a low drive after Maguire had caused more problems in the area and at the very last, after yet another corner, Burn put himself about and Rogers blazed high. Tuchel has plenty to ponder.