‘there Is No Second Kane’: Tuchel Admits England Struggle Without Their Captain

Thomas Tuchel admitted location is nary 2nd Harry Kane and called him arsenic influential arsenic Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, aft England’s World Cup preparations took different dent pinch their main guardant missing during a dismal 1-0 conclusion by Japan.

Tuchel experimented aft losing Kane to a sore ft successful training, pinch Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon deployed arsenic a fluid beforehand 4 connected Tuesday nighttime successful nan friends astatine Wembley.

However, nan strategy grounded to occurrence and England’s deficiency of productivity arsenic they registered different disappointing consequence against top-20 guidance near nan caput coach facing questions complete whether his broadside will beryllium excessively reliant connected their skipper for goals this summer.

“Why would Argentina not trust connected Messi aliases Portugal connected Ronaldo?” Tuchel said. “Key figures near campy and we saw that a bit. Today successful nan first half we played measurement excessively narrow. Second half we had much width, we were much move connected nan wings, utilizing nan full-backs more, we took much risks and we made much chances but couldn’t convert.

“Bayern Munich successful nan absence of Harry Kane has not nan aforesaid threat, nary squad successful nan world has nan aforesaid threat, it’s conscionable normal. If apical teams trust connected apical players and apical nations trust connected apical players, that’s conscionable perfectly normal.

“Harry dropped out, truthful we mislaid not only him arsenic a player, we mislaid him arsenic a personality, it’s ever a spot disrupting if nan skipper leaves nan past training aft 15 minutes and is retired of nan squad. We tin triumph games without Harry, we will triumph without Harry, we person won without Harry. It’s easier to triumph matches pinch Harry.”

Tuchel, who was besides without Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, John Stones, Reece James and Bukayo Saka, tried Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin arsenic accepted No 9s during nan tie pinch Uruguay past Friday. The attack against Japan was much fluid but conscionable arsenic unsuccessful.

“We changed nan strategy against Uruguay, and played pinch a No 9,” Tuchel said. “Today we played pinch Phil Foden, and later pinch Dom Solanke. But I’m not looking for a 2nd Harry Kane. There’s conscionable nary 2nd Harry Kane.”

Tuchel said nan performances successful their last campy earlier nan World Cup had fixed him “more clarity” complete who to sanction successful his 26-man squad. Asked astir Palmer and Foden, he said England’s forwards had not offered capable successful nan last third.