Thomas Tuchel compares Harry Kane to Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo after England lose to Japan without talismanic captain

The disappointing loss at Wembley followed a disjointed 1-1 draw with Uruguay last week, leaving Tuchel with plenty of questions ahead of the World Cup. With their captain watching from the stands, England failed to find a cutting edge. Manchester City star Phil Foden was deployed as a false nine but struggled to make an impact, while previous experiments with Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have also failed to produce a convincing alternative to Bayern Munich star Kane.

When asked if the squad are too dependent on their 32-year-old captain, Tuchel pointed towards the world’s greatest ever players to prove his point. "Well, why would Argentina not rely on Messi or Portugal not rely on Cristiano Ronaldo?" Tuchel said on ITV. "This is totally normal. Key players left camp for us, key figures. We saw that a bit. We lacked a punch in the last 20 metres in both matches. In the absence of Harry Kane, we don't have the same threat. Bayern Munich in the absence of Harry Kane has not the same threat. No team in the world has the same threat."

The atmosphere at Wembley turned toxic following Kaoru Mitoma's winning goal, but the former Chelsea boss was in no mood to address whether the expectations of the national team were burdening his younger players. Tuchel remained steadfast in his belief that the group must simply adapt to the high-stakes environment of international football. When questioned if the shirt was becoming too heavy for some, the manager refused to be drawn into the debate, stating: "I don’t want to engage in this discussion because I think it’s very clear what we want to do and how we want to play and focus more on principles. It comes with pressure. It comes with noise, playing for England. That’s just how it is."

Despite the setback, the England manager remains confident that his side can find results without their record goalscorer, even if the task becomes significantly harder. Tuchel was adamant, however, that he is not looking to mould another player into a replica of Kane because such a profile simply does not exist.

"We can win games without Harry. We will win without Harry, we have won without Harry. But it's easier to win matches with Harry of course," Tuchel concluded. "I'm not looking for a second Harry Kane - there is no second Harry Kane." The Three Lions are now facing a period of reflection before they fly out to the United States for their final World Cup warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica.