CHENNAI: When Thomas Tuchel put pen to paper on his England contract in late 2024, the brief from the Football Association (FA) that governs English football, was simple — get the team across the line and win a trophy.
It also signalled a departure of the FA’s approach of appointing English coaches. While Gareth Southgate laid the crucial groundwork, he failed to see the team through the final hurdle at the Euro 2024. They were twice runner-up in the UEFA Euros (2021, 2024) and a semifinal finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia before stumbling in the quarterfinals of the 2022 edition in Qatar. Tuchel will be the third foreign coach for the Three Lions. While his decorated CV — winning the league with Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich and a UEFA Champions League with Chelsea – may seem attractive but his appointment brought familiar apprehensions back. The last foreign coach to lead an England team in the World Cup in 2010 oversaw a disastrous campaign.
That apprehension further arose when Tuchel announced the squad for the World Cup in May, when he left out big names like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and included Ivan Toney and a 36-year-old Jordan Henderson. Fingers were pointed at him, criticism among former players was strong. But Tuchel defended his selection. “I think from day one we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players. Teams win Championships,” he had said after announcing the squad in May. Those concluding remarks will hold more weight, and with that, gives Tuchel little room for error. With fans holding high expectations as ever, this campaign for England is crucial. Another reason this World Cup was going to be crucial is because Tuchel’s men are yet to be tested. In their route to qualifying to the global showpiece, England scored 22 goals and conceded zero goals, but their oppositions read – 67th ranked Albania, 41st placed Serbia, Latvia in 137th place and minnows Andorra (172).
It is why England’s first group game against Croatia is considered a litmus test. One of the important aspects that the England boss needs to address is managing the player’s workload.
The likes of Declan Rice (55 appearances for Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (55 apps for Aston Villa) and Marc Guehi (53 apps for Crystal Palace/Man City) will come in exhausted. The clubs they represent have had deep runs in both domestic and European competitions, and have played key roles. “Our players will be tired after a long season. That is how it is,” he said at the squad announcement.
This is one of the reasons why former English footballer and pundit Paul Masefield believes it is crucial for Tuchel to manage his players. “The number of games that they’re having to play in per season is getting longer. Then they’re playing World Cups, then they’re going on tours, then they’re playing. Players don’t get a break. So, how will the body fully recover? The only way is when it breaks down and then somebody else has to come in. Tuchel has to come good and has to come strong when he uses his substitutes. It does play a little part in it,” the Zee5 expert said in a virtual interaction on Tuesday. That way, he believes Wednesday’s match may not involve ‘flat-out football from both sides.’ “I see England being that slightly stronger side because there are more ageing legs in that Croatian side with the likes of (Luka) Modric, Perisic, those type of players. But these two sides will always have a go at one another. But you won’t be seeing the gung-ho, flat-out football from both sides in the opening game,” he said.
But what the German is doing right is retaining the culture Southgate had built from scratch. Team over individual. “That that’s the key element that Tuchel is trying to put into this team — the team ethics, the teamwork and the team bonding, where you’ve got a team that will go out onto the pitch and die for each other. Southgate’s the one that started (culture), and now Tuchel’s come in with that little bit more tactical awareness and knowledge than Southgate has (...),” Masefield explained.
While it is true that every team in this competition may not arrive at the perfect condition, England’s perils in high-pressure tournaments like these will cost them dearly, as it has been seen in previous occasions. With someone like Tuchel, England will hope to capitalise on big moments and get past the final hurdle, in his bid “to try and put a second star on the shirt.” But Wednesday’s match at Arlington, Texas against a tough Croatian side may give a clearer picture of England’s chances in this tournament.
