Thomas Tuchel has defended England's reliance on Harry Kane, insisting that top teams naturally depend on their star players. The England manager responded to criticism following a lacklustre 1-0 defeat to Japan, where Kane's late withdrawal left the side toothless in attack.
Phil Foden operated as a false nine but failed to impress, being replaced by Dominic Solanke before the hour mark. Tuchel acknowledged the drop in quality without Kane, stating that no team in the world has a like-for-like replacement for the Bayern Munich striker.
“In the absence of Harry Kane, we don't have the same threat,” Tuchel said. “Bayern Munich, in the absence of Harry Kane, they don't have the same threat. No team in the world has the same threat. It's just normal. Top teams rely on top players and top nations rely on top players.”
The England boss also highlighted the disruption caused by Kane's departure from training just 15 minutes in, as well as a mounting injury list that reached eight players during the March international break. He emphasised that the result should be viewed in context, with players heavily invested in club campaigns.
“It's not an excuse, it's just an explanation why things are not perfectly smooth,” Tuchel added. He called on his team to learn from the winless camp, which he said “will not define us”, and admitted he will be watching the season run-in with concern as he finalises his World Cup squad.
