Thomas Tuchel was hired to help England take the final step. But the team have gone backwards under his management so far.
After Gareth Southgate’s side lost last summer’s Euros final to Spain, the feeling was England just needed some tactical sharpness and a winner’s edge to get over the line and end all those years of hurt. Tuchel, the FA said, could bring both.
But 11 months on, in an international window which saw Spain, along with their Nations League final conquerors Portugal, once again “set the benchmark”, as Tuchel put it, for what is going to be required to win the 2026 World Cup, England’s prospects of claiming that ultimate crown have slipped significantly.
Speaking ahead of the 3-1 defeat to Senegal, Tuchel insisted he was “convinced” England could hit the elite levels set by Spain and Portugal. But an alarming loss at the City Ground which, for the second time in three days saw the squad’s attitude questioned in the wake of a disjointed display, leaves that prediction looking somewhat fanciful right now.
There are of course caveats. The June break, at the end of a long season, with players missing with injury or fatigued, is a notoriously tricky one. Southgate suffered the worst loss of his tenure during this period, going down 4-0 to Hungary at Molineux. Tuchel is right to say England “will get more competitive” by the autumn international windows, when the players are in the full flow of a Premier League season.
He also noted ahead of Tuesday that he had only had 11 actual training days with the England players. It is still early days. But the honeymoon is over.
England were beaten 3-1 by Senegal in their first ever defeat by African opposition
Tuchel, like many observers of England’s defeat to Spain in Berlin, may have fallen into the trap of assuming this was an easy fix. A team primed to win and requiring only obvious adjustments. Certainly, his criticism of Southgate’s work at Euro 2024 looks naive now.
“Watching the Euros I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players,” Tuchel said ahead of his first game in charge.
“It felt they were playing not to lose and have any more pressure added [rather] than [with] the excitement to make something special happen. We need to turn this around. I want us to play with the excitement and hunger and joy to win.”
The England players who were booed off in Nottingham this week may not feel like the weight of expectation has been lifted just yet.
“They were not free enough to express themselves in a stable structure,” continued Tuchel during his analysis, presumably not expecting his side to struggle to a 1-0 win away at Andorra a few months down the line.
Tuchel’s observations may have been correct about England’s cautious, nervy play in Germany – but the assumption they could be swiftly solved hinted at his unfamiliarity with international management.
Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett gives his verdict following England’s lacklustre 3-1 loss to Senegal that gave Tuchel his first defeat in charge
His plan for his players to play as they do in the Premier League – on the front foot, pressing high – was another example. England’s lacklustre showing in the heat of Barcelona on Saturday felt like a forewarning of what might happen if they go for the intensive approach in the high temperatures they will face in North America.
Rather than straightforward answers, the same questions remain:
- How do England balance their midfield to control possession so they can measure their efforts and manage matches?
- How do they get their best creative players into their most productive areas of the pitch while still enhancing the powers of Harry Kane?
- What is the smartest use of the wealth of full-back options to aid that attack and protect vulnerable centre-backs?
In his first press conference, Tuchel said England would need momentum to pull off a World Cup win. They do not have much of that right now. There is a summer for him and his staff to stew on the reality check delivered by Andorra and Senegal.
When England next return to the international stage, Tuchel must demonstrate those tactical strengths and winning mentality he is renowned for to restore confidence and belief England’s journey is going in the right direction.
