Four days ago, Ben White scored, gave away a penalty, and managed to become both hero and villain in the same evening against Uruguay. England drew 1-1, their six-game winning run ended, and 90,000 people went home not entirely sure what they had just watched.
Now Tuchel gets to fix it. Tuesday night at Wembley. The real squad back. Kane, Bellingham, Saka, Gordon, Rogers all returning after watching Friday's chaos from the stands. England get to remind everyone what they actually look like when they are not experimenting.
The problem is Japan did not travel to London to be the remedial exercise. They just beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park, Ito scoring a winner with six minutes left to extend their unbeaten run to five games. Three consecutive clean sheets. Four straight wins. And a squad that beat Brazil in November, came from 2-0 down to win 3-2, which is the kind of result that tells you everything about how Japan carry themselves at this level now.
England are favourites. Obviously. But Japan are not here for a photo opportunity.
Photo Credit ( Getty Images)
England vs Japan: Key Stats
Head-to-head: England 2 wins, Japan 0 wins, 1 draw. England have never lost to Japan
England: Unbeaten in 7 matches under Tuchel, winning 6
England: Scored in 21 consecutive matches since a 0-0 draw with Slovakia at Euro 2024
England: Conceded just 1 goal in their last 7 games, a contentious late penalty against Uruguay
England: Scored 20 goals across those last 7 matches
Japan: Unbeaten in their last 5 matches, winning 4
Japan: Three consecutive clean sheets coming into Tuesday
Japan: Beat Brazil 3-2 in November coming from 2-0 down
Japan: Missing Takehiro Tomiyasu through injury
England: Missing Rice, Saka, Wharton, Stones, Madueke, Tomori, Ramsdale and Calvert-Lewin
Photo Credit (Getty Images)
What to Expect
England come into this with a point to prove after Friday's disappointment and a near-full strength squad restored. Tuchel is expected to name a lineup much closer to his World Cup first choice, with Kane leading the line, Bellingham returning in the number ten role, and Gordon and Rogers providing width. The combination of Palmer creating and Kane finishing is the relationship that has made England so clinical under Tuchel and Japan will feel the difference between Friday's experimental side and Tuesday's first team. England have been defensively exceptional in this run, conceding barely anything, and the pressure is on this attack to deliver a performance that removes any anxiety about their World Cup preparations.
Japan will sit deep, stay compact, and wait. That is not an insult. That is their identity and it has been working. Moriyasu restores Mitoma and Kamada to the starting lineup after using them as substitutes against Scotland. Ayase Ueda leads the line with the support of Doan and Maeda in behind. Sugawara bombing forward from right wing-back will be Japan's most dangerous outlet going forward. Their plan is simple. Absorb England's early pressure, deny space in behind, and strike on the counter through Mitoma, who on his day is one of the most dangerous wide players in world football. Three clean sheets in a row tells you this Japan defence has serious confidence right now.
Predicted Lineups
England (4-2-3-1)
Pickford; White, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Mainoo; Palmer, Rogers, Gordon; Kane
Japan (3-4-2-1)
Suzuki; Taniguchi, Watanabe, Ito; Sugawara, Kaishu Sano, Kamada, Mitoma; Doan, Maeda; Ueda
Players to Watch
Harry Kane - England's all-time leading scorer returning after watching Friday's mess from the stands. He will want the ball early, often, and in positions where he can hurt Japan's three-man defence. If England are going to make a statement tonight, it starts with Kane finding the net.
Cole Palmer - The most creative player in this England squad and the one most likely to unlock Japan's defensive structure with a moment of individual quality. Palmer has been central to England's 20 goals in seven games under Tuchel and Japan's defence will be tracking him from the very first minute.
Kaoru Mitoma - Brighton's Japanese winger is the most dangerous attacking player on the visiting side and the one man who can genuinely hurt England at full strength on the counter. White at right back and Guehi beside him will need to be switched on every time the ball finds Mitoma in space.
Ayase Ueda - The Feyenoord striker is Japan's focal point and the man tasked with holding the ball up, bringing others into play, and finishing when the opportunity arrives. He is not the most glamorous name on the teamsheet but Japan's attack flows through him. If he is quiet, Japan are quiet.
Prediction
England to win: 1.54
Japan to win: 5.35
Draw: 4.29
Over 2.5 Goals: 1.73
Prediction: England 2-1 Japan
The data points firmly to England but with genuine respect for what Japan bring. England have scored 20 goals in seven games, conceded almost nothing, and return their strongest available lineup for a crowd that demands a response after Uruguay's draw. Japan's three clean sheets are impressive but they were against Scotland, Costa Rica and Bolivia. England are a completely different proposition and with Kane, Palmer and Bellingham operating at full capacity, the Wembley crowd will get the performance Tuchel promised. Japan will make it tight in the first half but England's quality tells in the second.
