Tuchel rules out dropping Kane despite Ghana stalemate leaving Toney and Watkins unused again

Thomas Tuchel dismissed any suggestion of substituting Harry Kane as England were frustrated by a disciplined Ghana side in a goalless World Cup group-stage draw on Tuesday, leaving Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins on the bench for the second game running.

Ghana’s deep defensive block and physical approach disrupted England’s rhythm throughout, with Jude Bellingham and Elliott Anderson among those repeatedly halted by the opposition’s aggression. Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, and Marcus Rashford in search of a breakthrough, but neither of his specialist strikers entered the pitch.

When asked why he did not turn to Toney or Watkins, Tuchel was unequivocal about Kane’s status. “Change Harry Kane in a game that is stuck and 0-0?!” he said. “Taking Harry off, no?”

Kane produced a glaring late miss that would have sealed a win, yet Tuchel maintained that relying on the captain is a natural decision rather than an excessive one. “Everyone is pushing and I think we had three different goalscorers in the first match and to rely on Harry is just a natural thing because he loves responsibility and he takes it,” the England manager said. “He was not involved as much as we like to — it was just so, so narrow. Our two central defenders were responsible for the build-up and then it was basically eight against 10. It was difficult to find space.”

Tuchel added: “The little moments that he had was just unlucky and the last one is normally a clear goal and that would have got us a deserved win. We rely on Harry because we can, because he’s our forward, but we don’t over-rely on him.”

Toney and Watkins were also unused in the opening group match against Croatia, meaning both forwards have yet to feature in the tournament. When pressed on whether Panama — England’s next opponents — might offer them an opportunity, Tuchel offered little indication of his thinking. “I have no idea. Panama is in four days,” he said.

Watkins, speaking ahead of the Ghana match, acknowledged the unusual dynamic of being a specialist striker watching from the bench. “I think the expectation for me is people don’t see me playing, obviously they see Harry playing, but I know what I can bring to the table,” the Aston Villa forward said. “I watch the game when I’m on the bench, I can see the game opens up. It’s a completely different game when you start a game of football than when you finish it.”