Tuchel admits Foden and Palmer 'struggled to make a difference' in Wembley loss

Thomas Tuchel admitted Cole Palmer and Phil Foden "struggled to make a difference" during England's dismal 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley Stadium.

England were booed off at both half-time and full-time by the home crowd as Japan secured a first win against the Three Lions, thanks to Kaoru Mitoma's side-footed effort in the first half.

Foden and Palmer, both of whom are fighting for a place in Tuchel's World Cup squad in a crowded position, were both substituted in the second half with England failing to record a shot on target until the duo had left the field.

Tuchel admitted he wanted to allow Palmer to play in his preferred No 10 position following a promising cameo against Uruguay on Friday - but the playmaker squandered the chance and was at fault for Japan's goal after being dispossessed by Mitoma on the halfway line.

Foden, who was deployed as a false nine on the evening and had the fewest touches of any starting England player, also failed to impress.

His run without a goal for England now stretches to 22 games, dating back to October 2023.

When asked about the performances of Palmer and Foden, Tuchel said: "I'm not the biggest person to talk about individuals, but if we put offensive players on the pitch, we demand offensive actions, creativity, dribbling, shots and assists and we clearly didn't have enough.

"We made it difficult for ourselves to find them in the half spaces. We played against a deep 5-4-1. We didn't use the width of the field enough and our offensive players struggled to make a difference in one-on-one situations.

"Against that formation, you get no superiority through passing; it's through winning one-on-ones.

"In the second half Japan got a bit more tired, we invested more on the sides to open up the middle and it was difficult for them to get their chances.

"We had three camps where we didn't open the door a lot for newcomers and in this one, we did. We had to adapt to seven or eight injuries but I can put it into perspective. It's just the way it is."

Tuchel also criticises full-backs in defeat

Foden and Palmer were not the only players Tuchel criticised in the defeat. The England boss opted for Ben White, who was once again booed by England fans, and Nico O'Reilly at full-back.

The England boss then substituted both players on the hour mark for Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, before saying the initial pairing failed to offer the width the team needed in the first half.

Tuchel added: "We played with two No 6s and two No 10 positions. That's what we thought would give us the players where Japan has no players.

"That was to put Morgan [Rogers] and [Anthony] Gordon on the last line. But we did not have enough width; the full-backs did not engage enough going forward.

"That put everything through the middle, which did not work because it was too congested.

"We wanted to give Cole Palmer the chance to perform in his ideal position. Later we tried with Morgan more tucked in and Jarrod Bowen in the high position. It was a bit easier because we had more overlaps and underlaps from the full-backs.

"The players tried, it's difficult because we try to learn stuff in two days and I'll take the responsibility for that but the group was new, and some of the group heard the voice and principles of me for the first time."

What next for England?

The friendly against Japan marked the final chance for Tuchel to look at his players on the international stage before he announces his World Cup squad at the end of the season.

England have World Cup warm-up matches with New Zealand and Costa Rica before their tournament opener against Croatia on June 17.