Thomas Tuchel’s first two games as England’s Manager have resulted in a 2-0 and 3-0 win over Latvia and Albania. Today, we outline five key areas that could be identical to England’s future under the Germans.
1. Intensity
The Three Lions under Gareth Southgate were a strong unit. However, there wasn’t enough intensity throughout any of their games in terms of grabbing games by the scruff of the neck.
Whenever England scored a goal, there wasn’t the urgency to look for the second. Instead, they were trying to protect what they had.
The great thing about Tuchel’s past teams, particularly at Chelsea, was the intensity they showed in all of their games, even if it was just a friendly one.
There were so many occasions in the Southgate era where the tempo of England’s play on and off the ball wasn’t insufficient.
This was one of the major reasons England lost the Euro 2024 Final to Spain: their intensity levels were greater than England’s.
Some people might say that we did show more intensity after Spain got the opening goal, but that is not good enough.
You must show up for the full 90 minutes to win big matches, which is what England failed to do, especially against Italy, after scoring so early in the match.
It could be a big step towards winning the World Cup if England can sustain a high level of intensity, especially when they arrive in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
2. Playing Out From The Back
Over the years, the art of playing high-quality football has evolved, with teams trying to play out from the back, particularly since Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City.
One issue with Southgate was that he was continuously happy with Jordan Pickford kicking the ball long instead of trying to patiently build attacks with ball possession.
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Cole Palmer’s goal against Spain in the Final of Euro 2024 was one of the rare occasions where England could move the ball from one end of the pitch to the other at a more efficient tempo.
Surely, England fans would want to see this more often, as The Three Lions scored most of the goals in the Southgate era via set pieces or individual brilliance.
This will rarely take you over the line in winning a major tournament.
Hopefully, Tuchel can eliminate England’s fear of losing the ball, and make them make brave and bold decisions on and off it.
3. Full-Backs Playing Higher
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Another noticeable thing during the first two qualifiers was the freedom that Miles Lewis-Skelly and Reece James had to play higher up the pitch and help build up England’s attacks.
Gone are the days in which the Right and Left Backs were only used to stop attacks from out on the wings.
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Luke Shaw’s goal against Italy was one of the rare occasions where Southgate allowed either of his full-backs to make a run into the box. Hopefully, Tuchel’s system will allow this to happen more frequently.
4. Wingers Stay Wide
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After Tuchel was critical of Marcus Rashford for not taking on Albania’s full-backs during the game, the United and Aston Villa forward, along with Jarrod Bowen, were much more penetrative in the game against Latvia.
England has many players who can play in those positions, such as Eberechi Eze, who replaced Bowen in the 61st minute, and Bukayo Saka,w ho is currently injured.
During the Southgate era, Saka and Foden, who bizarrely played on the left wing, always came inside instead of staying wide and making penetrative runs into the box.
You want your wingers to stay wide and drive into the box to create and score goals. It also doubts the opposition’s defenders, so they can’t figure out whose run to track.
Doing this allows you to create more chances to score more goals.
Hopefully Tuchel’s system will allow England the freedom to express their attacking talent, especially at the World Cup.
5. Brutally Honest
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What makes a top manager is the ability to be honest, particularly when things are not going your way. In Tuchel’s instance, he does this slightly more brutally.
When Fabio Capello was in charge, he was a bit too brutal when criticising his players.
Tuchel may look like a brutal manager, but at least there are some valid points behind his criticism of his players.
Sometimes, being brutally honest with your players can motivate them to elevate their performance to a higher level. Still, it can also demotivate them, particularly if they feel that the manager is harsh.
Perhaps that’s why some people, especially pundits,s are a little concerned about the FA giving the job to Tuche, as they are unsure what kind of impact it could have on the players.
So these are five takeaways from Thomas Tuchel’s first two games as England Boss.
What are your thoughts on Tuchel’s England?
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