Thomas Tuchel speaks out on Harry Kane after England captain hits shocking major tournament low in Ghana draw

Despite having nearly 80 per cent of the ball, England could not break the deadlock and Kane was largely anonymous throughout the contest. When asked about his reliance on the Bayern Munich striker, Tuchel remained defiant about his star man's importance to the side.

"Does Argentina rely too heavily on [Lionel] Messi and France rely too heavily on [Kylian] Mbappe? It is just what it is," Tuchel told reporters after the game. "They are world class players and they do normally what they do. Everyone is pushing and we had three different goalscorers in the first match. To rely on Harry is just a natural thing because he loves the responsibility and he takes it... We rely on Harry because we can, because he's our forward but we don't over-rely on him."

The statistics from Tuesday’s clash make for grim reading for the England skipper. Stifled by a deep block orchestrated by Carlos Queiroz, Kane struggled to exert any real influence against Ghana. According to Opta, he recorded just 19 touches – his lowest ever total in a major tournament match for England when playing the full 90 minutes. The lack of service was evident as England’s creative stars found their paths blocked time and again. Kane did manage to find one fleeting late opening, but he skewed the opportunity over the bar.

Addressing the tactical stranglehold and that late miss, the German coach noted: "He was not involved as much as we would like to but it was just so, so narrow. Our two central defenders were responsible for the build-up and then it was basically eight against 10. It was difficult to find space. The little moments he had were just unlucky. The last one is normally a clear goal and would have gotten us a deserved win."

With the striker starved of service and unable to convert his one clear opening, the captain's general lack of involvement raised questions about whether he should have been replaced with fresh legs in the closing stages.

Despite the lack of goals, Tuchel opted against using his other striking options, leaving Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins on the bench for the second game running. The decision to keep Kane on the pitch for the duration of the match was a deliberate choice by the manager, who scoffed at the idea of replacing his number nine even when the game was crying out for a different profile.

When asked why he didn't turn to his other forwards, Tuchel gave a blunt response: "Change Harry Kane in a game that is stuck and 0-0?! Taking Harry off, no?" While Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford were introduced, the backup out-and-out strikers remained unused, with Tuchel later admitted he had "no idea" if the upcoming clash with Panama would present an opportunity for striker rotation.

With England still sitting top of Group L after their opening 4-2 win over Croatia, Tuchel is urging the supporters not to panic. The atmosphere at Gillette Stadium turned slightly sour as the minutes ticked down without a breakthrough, but the manager insists that the difficulty of the group must be respected.

"It is a long tournament," Tuchel added. "The boys tried everything and again they played with the right energy. I know it is a very difficult game and in this case, if one team tries to play and run against this deep block, you don't find the spaces and it is difficult for you to create chances, it can be difficult to watch and it is not as exciting as two teams trying to win it in a more open game. We know. We always try to entertain our fans. It was difficult today, I hope they don't lose belief."