73 days after the painful World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Thomas Tuchel’s England gave us a reality check of how close they are, competing against the top nations.
Some may argue, ‘It’s the Nations League, who cares?’ However, when you’re playing against the world champions in Spain, it’s a real opportunity to reassess where you are as a team.
Going back to the game in Atlanta. Tuchel was fairly criticised by the English media and fans for going ultra-defensive while England were 1-0 up, with half an hour remaining.
What got them even more riled up is the fact that he said that it’s not in England’s DNA to keep possession of the ball for long periods.
“Is this in our DNA? Do we really value control? Is this something that makes us feel good in a match? Is this something that comes easy to us? “Do we even realise: ‘Oh, we’re controlling a midfield, everything is fine?’ Or do we go like: ‘Yeah, but we’re stuck in midfield we should go. We should attack?’
Historically speaking, he has a point, but the fact that England do have some ball technicians that he chose to omit leaves a small dark cloud over that.
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer did not have the best of seasons, fine, but what about Morgan Gibbs-White? You took Kobbie Mainoo, but hardly used him.
While Southgate was slammed by the media for not knowing how to use these technicians. Tuchel has to take some accountability for not taking at least one or two of them.
He’s kind of made up for it by selecting Gibbs-White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mainoo, and Palmer for this window.
However, due to injuries sustained the week before, the United and Chelsea duo, along with Declan Rice, had to pull out.
If I were to be slightly critical of Tuchel, he waited until Spain were 2-1 up to replace Bukayo Saka with Gibbs-White.
Had he brought him on at 1-1? It may not have necessarily changed the game, but it could have given them a bit more control on the ball.
While people criticised Southgate for being naive, Tuchel faces criticism for being too ruthless at times.
To win over England fans and the media, Tuchel must strike a balance between being ruthless, but at the same time allowing freedom for players to express themselves.
The best teams not only control games with possession, but are ruthless. When it’s 1-0, they do everything they can to make it 2-0.
By the time Euro 2028 come around, Tuchel must instil a ruthless mindset in terms of grabbing the initiative in games they are in control of.
Only then will it shift the narrative around the fans and their trust in Thomas Tuchel.
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