England’s recent victories have lifted confidence and raised expectations, but Thomas Tuchel and the Football Association should not celebrate yet, according to The Daily Telegraph reporter Dominic King.
England collected three wins in the space of seven days, beating the Czech Republic at home and Croatia in an empty stadium in Rijeka. The results were achieved impressively, but the matches were, in footballing terms, almost laughably straightforward.
It would have been deeply disappointing had England failed to take all nine points. The victories have nevertheless shown that a squad already known to contain strong players is now playing with greater confidence.
Public opinion has shifted sharply. Three weeks ago, Tuchel was still facing criticism after the World Cup defeat. Now it appears he has taken a firm grip of England’s European Championship campaign.
That change may partly reflect Tuchel’s claim on 18 September that “99.9% of England fans” did not care about the tactics used in the infamous World Cup quarter-final against France in Atlanta. Supporters want to be entertained, and England have certainly provided that in recent matches.
But King says expectations must be kept under control. England’s performance must still be measured against the loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final, while the quality of the latest opposition needs to be considered carefully.
Tuchel is approaching his second anniversary as England manager. When FA chief executive Mark Bullingham authorised the move to appoint him, the objective was clear: win a second star for the England shirt.
Tuchel was initially given a contract covering one major tournament before extending his deal in February this year, with the World Cup as the target. Yet when the decisive moments came in the United States and he needed to make the major decisions at the right time, he failed.
His strongest supporters argue that the tournament was England’s best performance in a major competition outside home soil. They also point to the victory over France in the third-place play-off and the resulting bronze medal as evidence of improvement.
However, recent scorelines should not be allowed to distort the picture. Croatia’s display in Rijeka was so poor that coach Slaven Bilic regarded it as an insult. He could not understand his players’ defending or why they had stopped performing basic football actions such as running, pressing and concentrating.
Kane’s second goal against the Czech Republic offered another example. Newcastle United goalkeeper Lukas Hromada allowed an unthreatening header to slip through his hands, despite it being a routine save.
This is not a criticism of England’s players, who have made no arrogant claims and remain focused on success. The real test comes next month in Madrid, when England face Spain at the Metropolitano Stadium. Spain, the world champions, were clearly superior when the sides met at Wembley last month.
If England and Tuchel are as good as supporters now believe, they must show it against the highest standard. The Nations League may be dismissed by some as insignificant, but Spain won it in 2023 before lifting the European Championship in 2024 and reaching the top of the world this July. Portugal have won it twice and France have also triumphed.
Those nations have all achieved major international success in the past decade. Winning the Nations League in 2027 could provide England with an important platform before the 2028 tournament.
Until then, three easy victories have changed little beyond improving the statistics. For Tuchel and the FA, it is far too early to celebrate.
