Signed on October 8th
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On Thursday (8:45 p.m.) English national coach Thomas Tuchel will be on the sidelines for the Three Lions for the seventh time against Wales. Exactly a year ago today, the former Bayern, Chelsea, Paris and BVB coach signed his working paper on the island. Although the 52-year-old only officially took office in January 2025, half of his contract term is already over and the goal on the “Road to 2026” much talked about by the FA is getting closer and closer. A good time to take stock. Expert Ben Littlemore, Content Manager UK at Transfermarkt, classifies England’s development so far under Tuchel and takes a look into the future and the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
How has England’s national team developed under Tuchel?
Ben Littlemore: “The journey under Thomas Tuchel has been a strange one so far. Overall, his team’s performances have been rather uninspired. Those who had hoped for a loosening of the reins after Gareth Southgate were quite disappointed. Quite a few supporters also recently found some personnel decisions to be questionable: Newcastle’s Dan Burn seems to be a regular player under Tuchel, Jordan Henderson, who is undoubtedly getting on in years, is still heavily involved and that Not having players like up-and-coming Crystal Palace youngster Adam Wharton in the current squad is a brave decision. However, the last game against Serbia, a 5-0 win, was undoubtedly a huge improvement and felt like a huge moment for Tuchel – by far the best performance of his tenure so far.”
How is national coach Tuchel now perceived in England?
Littlemore: “There will always be people who claim that the England coach has to be English – that’s a recurring, supposed argument that I don’t share. However, the fact that Tuchel is German means that he will inevitably be scrutinized more quickly and critically as soon as things don’t go well. His standing in this country will essentially be manifested by how his team performs in the competition World Cup beats. One thing is clear: expectations in England are extremely high, perhaps even unreasonably high. I think he will come under a lot of pressure if he doesn’t win the title.”
In what areas do Tuchel’s Three Lions need improvement?
Littlemore: “I think Thomas Tuchel needs to get a clear picture of the dynamics of his midfield – especially how he can integrate Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and a defensive midfielder with good ball handling into the team. In addition, the English national team’s game as a whole needs to become more fluid and fast-paced. He should also decide promptly who his two central defenders are. Burn has done a good job for England, is In my opinion, I’m not yet ready to be in the starting line-up at a big tournament. But regardless of all that, Tuchel will hopefully still bring the trophy home… (laughs).”