This had been billed as Thomas Tuchel’s final tune-up of his top stars before World Cup selection. Instead, like against Uruguay, the test of Japan centred around an audition. Please welcome to the stage Phil Foden, playing the role of Harry Kane.
Going purely off his club form, struggling for minutes at Manchester City, there would usually be serious questions over whether Foden will get a seat on Tuchel’s Dallas-bound plane this summer. Tuchel, however, has repeatedly made the point that he sees him as an alternative to his free-scoring captain.
