Thomas Tuchel admits Phil Foden and Cole Palmer “fought hard to make a difference” in England’s 1-0 Wembley loss to Japan.

Thomas Tuchel admitted that Cole Palmer and Phil Foden “fought hard to make a difference” during England’s shock 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley Stadium.

England were booed at half-time and full-time by the home crowd as Japan secured their first win against the Three Lions, thanks to Kaoru Mitoma’s first-half goal-footed effort.

Foden and Palmer, who are both fighting for a place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad in a crowded field, were both substituted in the second half as England failed to register a shot until the duo left the field.

Tuchel admitted he wanted to allow Palmer to play in his preferred No.10 position after promising to come on against Uruguay on Friday – but the player squandered an opportunity and was at fault for Japan’s goal after being dispossessed by Mitoma in midfield.

Foden, who was deployed as a false nine on the evening and had the least impression of any England starting 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 play of Palmer and Foden, Tuchel said: “I’m not a big person to talk about individuals, but if we put offensive players on the pitch, we want offensive actions, creativity, penetration, shooting and assists and obviously we didn’t have any.

“We made it difficult for us to find them in the half. 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 structure, you don’t get supremacy by passing; it’s by winning over one person.

“In the second half, Japan got more tired, we invested more from the sides to open up the middle and it was difficult for them to find their chances.

“We had three camps where we didn’t open the door much for newcomers and in this one, we did. We had to deal with seven or eight injuries but I can put them in the right way. That’s how it is.”

Tuchel also criticizes the back-to-back players for the defeat

Foden and Palmer were not the only players Tuchel criticized in the win. The England manager selected Ben White, who was again booed by the England fans, and Nico O’Reilly at the back.

The England manager brought on both players on the hour in Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, before saying the first team failed to provide 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 players where Japan don’t have players.

“That was to put Morgan on [Rogers] and [Anthony] Gordon at the finish line. But we didn’t have enough width; the latter players did not participate enough to advance.

“That put everything in the middle, which didn’t work because it was too busy.

“We wanted to give Cole Palmer a chance to work in his best position. Later we tried with Morgan to be more inserted and Jarrod Bowen in a higher position. It was very easy because we had a lot of overlaps and underlaps from the back.

“The players tried, it’s difficult because we try to learn things in two days and I will take responsibility for that but the team was new, and some of the team heard my voice and principles for the first time.”

What will happen after England?

The friendly against Japan marked Tuchel’s last chance to watch his players on the international stage before he has to name his final 26-man World Cup squad on May 30.

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