Lee Dixon took aim at Cole Palmer after Japan opened the scoring in a historic 1-0 victory over England, criticising the attacker for ‘putting on the brakes’ as a substitute of tracking goalscorer Kaoru Mitoma.
England could have desired to placed on a show on the back of an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday night.
Nevertheless it was more of the identical from the Three Lions in one other limp and rudderless performance this evening, with Mitoma’s 23-minute strike proving the difference at Wembley.
The hosts, who were without their captain Harry Kane, offered little or no in pursuit of an equaliser in front of an increasingly agitated crowd, leaving Thomas Tuchel with loads of questions just 70 days out from the World Cup.
Remarkably, the result represents the primary time that England have ever been beaten by an Asian Football Confederation nation. Additionally it is the primary time Tuchel has suffered defeat at Wembley.
England now have just two more warm-up matches – against Latest Zealand and Costa Rica in June – before attentions turn to this summer’s eagerly anticipated tournament in america, Mexico and Canada.
Japan found their opener after Palmer was robbed of possession deep contained in the visitors’ half. Mitoma led a lightning-fast counter-attack and likewise finished off the move after Keito Nakamura’s exquisite pull back from the left.
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‘Cole Palmer goes to lose the ball because he takes possibilities… not enough tonight,’ ex-Arsenal and England defender Dixon said on ITV’s commentary of the match.
‘But when he loses it in midfield, he’s got one other job and that’s the chase back.
‘He gets level with Mitoma, roughly, after which just puts the brakes on and lets Mitoma run away from him into the space.
‘The pull back is ideal and it’s a very, really good breakaway goal for Japan.’
Dixon was also lower than impressed by Phil Foden’s display, with the Manchester City star playing as a false nine within the absence of skipper Kane.
I believe Tuchel likes O’Reilly, he’ll be on the plane.
The remaining of them… I don’t know what to say, Palmer has not likely done enough tonight, Phil Foden, again, the identical.
They haven’t got many games left to experiment with, have we? That is the last one before the warm-up games just before the World Cup and the squad being announced.
It’s not worked [Foden as the false nine], there’s not doubt about that, so whether he preservers with it in his mind, that may be the case within the event that Harry Kane gets an injury.
But actually, I don’t think there’s enough in there that you simply go, “Do you already know what? Let’s have a go at that”.’
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