Thomas Tuchel on Harry Kane's poor performance: Messi and Mbappe are in the same position

England's new head coach Thomas Tuchel defended captain Harry Kane following a lackluster draw against Ghana in the World Cup. In the match held in Foxborough, the English side dominated possession (80%), yet failed to break through the opponent's defense. In this encounter, Kane recorded one of the worst statistics of his career. This was reported by Goal.com news reports.

According to Opta statistics, the Bayern Munich striker touched the ball only 19 times during the 90 minutes against Ghana. This is the lowest figure for Harry Kane in matches where he played the full duration at major tournaments. Despite this, Thomas Tuchel emphasized in the press conference his complete confidence in the striker and stated that relying on him is natural.

Dependence on stars and tactical difficulties

"Is the Argentina national team too dependent on Lionel Messi or France on Kylian Mbappe? This is simply part of football. They are world-class players and usually fulfill their duties. We rely on Harry because he loves responsibility and takes it upon himself," ixbt.com quotes Tuchel.

The coach explained that the dense defense organized by Carlos Queiroz for the Ghana national team left no space for Kane. Tuchel noted that the striker had fewer touches due to the congestion in the center and the opponent's "park the bus" style of defending. At the end of the game, although Kane had one clear chance to score, he shot over the bar.

Why weren't substitute strikers brought on?

While England struggled to score during the match, ideas emerged among fans and experts that Kane should be replaced with fresh blood — Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins. However, the German specialist firmly rejected this suggestion. Tuchel stated that it would be illogical to remove the main goalscorer even when the score was 0-0.

"The game was 'stuck' and the score was 0-0, and replace Harry Kane? No, that's impossible," the coach replied briefly. Although Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford were brought on from the bench, the pure strikers were forced to remain on the bench until the end of the game.

England's next opponent will be Panama. Thomas Tuchel said he does not have precise information on whether there will be rotation in the lineup for this match. For now, criticism surrounding the team captain continues, but the coach's position remains unchanged: Kane is the team's indispensable leader and primary weapon.