Following the heartbreaking semi-final loss to Argentina, Thomas Tuchel‘s England made sure to leave North America’s shores with a Bronze medal to reduce the level of anger and scrutiny from the fans and media for their timid second-half performance against Lionel Messi and Co.
What Saturday’s 6-4 win against France showed is that no matter who is in the dugout, England still has the talent to go toe-to-toe against the best in the world.
Now, people, of course, are still livid with Tuchel’s tactics, but the fault does not rest solely on the German.
As he pointed out, we hardly ever keep possession of the ball, particularly in knockout games against champion teams such as Spain and Argentina, where keeping the ball is their DNA.
Like it or not, England have always been a side that are heavily dependent on set pieces and counterattacks.
And this has been our DNA even before the Gareth Southgate era, and this identity continues to define us today.
You cannot change a nation’s identity overnight; sometimes it takes one or two tournaments to find out what sort of team you really are.
Think about Southgate’s England. They were frustrating to watch, but their DNA was all about defending and trying to stay in games, rather than being ruthless and controlling them.
Though Tuchel hasn’t been able to change that, partly through his own tactical decisions, the team continues to struggle to control games. This approach has its merits, but it also limits their potential for dominance.
With Tuchel staying on until Euro 2028, this is something he must fix if England are going to break the curse of ’66 and truly dominate in major tournaments. He needs to prove that England are evolving by managing the big moments better, either by keeping the ball better under pressure, or by being ruthless and killing games off.
Looking Ahead To A Home Euros
This is why the next two years heading into a home European Championship are absolutely crucial for Tuchel to prove he is the elite tactician the FA have hired to break the 62-year curse with no silverware.
That is why sacking him at this point feels a little harsh, particularly when you’ve just extended his contract till 2028, and he’s just taken the team to their best World Cup finish since ’66.
Southgate was given four tournaments, so Tuchel should have a crack at the Euros.
As England have Nations League fixtures against Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic, it’s another opportunity to prove that the team is evolving under Tuchel.
Winning the Nations League is never the same as winning a World Cup or European Championship, but if Tuchel’s side can get to the final and get that gold medal around their necks, imagine the psychological shift it will create heading into Euro 2028?
What are your thoughts on Tuchel?
Should he be given one final chance to lead England to silverware?
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