The England manager wanted to build on the positives from the World Cup and he was minded to stand by the vast majority of the players who had been a part of the journey to the semi-finals in North America over the summer. His squad for the four-match Nations League window and the beginning of a new international cycle would not be defined by radical change. What was it about the best-laid plans?
As Tuchel prepared to name his group in mid-September, he knew that he would be without a clutch of World Cup players because of injury. He then lost another handful after the announcement. Fast forward to the Czechia game at Wembley on Tuesday night – the final one of the quartet – and, after further withdrawals, Tuchel could count only 12 players who were available to him during the World Cup.
He knows the train moves quickly in football, stopping for nobody. That flexibility is a prerequisite in his line of work. This felt like something else.
Tuchel and his staff were resolved to road-test an updated game model as they sought to move on from the devastation of the World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina. Again, nothing too radical because the principles were in place. They wanted to give the players greater freedom in terms of where they could roam on the pitch; encourage them to trust their instincts and take risks, all within a framework where covering for a teammate was fundamental.
Tuchel would need some new players to execute it and, as he reflects on a positive window, in which defeat by Spain was followed by three wins, two against Czechia either side of the 7-0 dismantling of Croatia in Rijeka, he will feel he has found them. There are always winners and losers from an international camp and maybe they are more pronounced on this occasion because of the timing; the sense of a fresh start, the desire to turn the page after Argentina. It was always going to be a tone-setter for the ultimate goal of Euro 2028 glory.
The biggest winners were Alex Scott and Lewis Hall, with Myles Lewis-Skelly getting an honourable mention. James Trafford pushed his claim to supplant Jordan Pickford as the first-choice goalkeeper, and then there was Trent Alexander-Arnold, ever tantalising, ever nuanced. As for the losers, well, take your pick from those who were not present, with Tuchel making it clear that it would be harder for them.
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