Kobbie Mainoo started for England as the hosts slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Japan at Wembley on Thursday evening. Rejuvenated under Michael Carrick, Mainoo had returned to international action after coming off the bench in England’s 1–1 draw with Uruguay and was picked in Thomas Tuchel’s XI against Japan.

The 20-year-old began well, seeing plenty of the ball and using his close control to spin away from markers and deliver tidy passes from around the halfway line. He recycled possession, helped defend in transition and attempted to kickstart attacks. His early highlight was an inch-perfect ball to Palmer—whose heavy touch squandered the chance.

Problems arrived in the 23rd minute when Palmer had his pocket picked by Kaoru Mitoma. Mainoo chased the winger and made a last-ditch tackle inside his own 18-yard box but could not prevent what was ultimately a goal for the visitors. Trailing, England pushed higher and Mainoo moved closer to the opposition box, searching for a pass to unlock the defence.

The front line offered little penetration without Harry Kane, and Mainoo’s accurate passes had limited effect in the final third. He only misplaced two passes in the opening 45 minutes, but one wayward attempt was intercepted by Kaishū Sano, who drove forward and found Ayase Ueda. Ueda’s effort struck the crossbar just before halftime.

Japan dominated the restart and the hosts scrambled early in the second half. Mainoo was caught ball-watching when a through pass released Junya Ito down the right; Mainoo was late to recover but got the slightest of touches as Jordan Pickford collected the resulting cross. He avoided further errors, made several recoveries and interventions before being replaced in the 71st minute.

Mainoo can take pride in an elite passing display but will want to eliminate the lapses on and off the ball that influenced the outcome.

Statistics
Goals 0
Assists 0
Accurate Passes 83/88 (94%)
Touches 97
Successful Dribbles 2/2 (100%)
Passes Into Final Third 9
Accurate Crosses 0/1 (0%)
Accurate Long Balls 1/3 (33%)
Dispossessed 0
Tackles 2
Clearances 3
Headed Clearance 3
Recoveries 9
Chances Created 0
Shots on Target 0

Marco Rossi moved quickly to dismiss reports of a falling-out with Liverpool manager Arne Slot, calling the idea implausible and urging respect for the national team after Hungary’s friendly schedule.

“If we had to save his energy, whether it was for him or anyone else, he could do it,” Rossi sniffed ahead of Hungary’s friendly against Slovenia. “However, for us, the national team is the priority, now it is to play good games.”

Dominik Szoboszlai and his Liverpool colleague Milos Kerkez both started Hungary’s 1–0 win in Budapest on Saturday. Rossi was at pains to explain his substitutions and to push back against suggestions of tension with Slot.

“I’ve read nonsense in the press,” the Hungary boss fumed. “You can’t imagine that I would be so arrogant, conceited and stupid as to compare myself to a coach who manages a team in the Premier League .

“I am not comparable to the Liverpool manager, I had no intention of that happening at all. Arne Slot said he hoped his players wouldn’t play two games. I saved Dominik Szoboszlai 10 minutes and Milos Kerkez 20.

“Slot is a coach of a top club. He deserves maximum respect. I am nobody. But since I am the head coach of the Hungarian national team, I think the Hungarian national team also deserves respect, at least because of its past.

The article’s match details list minutes played by several internationals, correct as of March 30, 2026: Giorgi Mamardashvili 180, Dominik Szoboszlai 87, Milos Kerkez 76, Jeremie Frimpong 0, Virgil van Dijk 90, Ibrahima Konaté 90, Andy Robertson 71, Alexis Mac Allister 76, Ryan Gravenberch 82, Florian Wirtz 90, Cody Gakpo 82 and Hugo Ekitiké 93.

Slot’s wider concerns over his international contingent extend to other players who have travelled and logged minutes in recent friendlies. The French pair Ibrahima Konaté and Hugo Ekitiké started one of France’s March friendlies before travelling to the U.S. for matches against Brazil and Colombia. Alexis Mac Allister undertook a near 14,000-mile round trip to Buenos Aires, a journey Rossi suggested can complicate player recovery and form.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has made clear that Harry Maguire’s recall does not guarantee a place on the 2026 World Cup roster, saying other centre-backs better suit his plans. Tuchel praised Maguire’s recent performance at Wembley but warned the competition is fierce.

“I got exactly what I thought: solid central defender play,” Tuchel said. “That’s what he does. Very good on the ball, very calm, strong in the air and [as a] weapon for set pieces.” He then listed four players he rates ahead of Maguire in his system. “I see other players I like to start for us, I see other players ahead with a ­different profile,” Tuchel bluntly admitted. “I see Ezri Konsa ahead, I see Marc Guéhi ahead. It’s no secret. I see Trevoh Chalobah on the level of mobility slightly ahead of him. Also John Stones, but he had injuries so he needed to come in camp.”

Tuchel’s inclusion of John Stones highlights a key dilemma: availability. Stones started Manchester City’s first three Premier League games of the season but has since been sidelined. The 31-year-old has made one top-flight start since August and has missed 21 games this term. Last season Stones missed 34 matches, the year before that 11, and in this international break a training issue forced him back to Manchester City without playing a single minute. Across the last four seasons Stones has sat out 78 matches; over the same period Maguire has missed 45.

Tuchel pointed to mobility when explaining why Trevoh Chalobah is closer to selection despite having one senior England cap to Maguire’s 65. Chalobah, only an inch shorter than the United defender, registered a top speed of 32.3 km/hr in this season’s Champions League, a figure compared in the draft to Newcastle United’s Dan Burn. Chalobah’s familiarity with Tuchel goes back to 2021–22, when the manager gave him 31 appearances across all competitions before his exit.

Ezri Konsa’s standing with Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was also noted. “Sometimes I think that he is not as ambitious as I am with him,” Emery once reflected. “I believe in him more than he believes in himself.” There is a case for pairing Maguire with Konsa, but Tuchel’s view places Marc Guéhi and others firmly ahead. After three weeks adapting to the demands of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Guéhi said: “There’s a lot of detail,” the former Crystal Palace defender smiled.