Thomas Tuchel believes England have unlocked a new level after moving forward with his tactical tweaks in the opening Nations League fixtures. The head coach wanted the players to retain their aggression, especially in the high press, to step on to the front foot and to harness the chaos often seen in the Premier League. But he has also tried to get them to play with greater freedom, to trust and follow their instincts more – while being alive to the need to cover for their teammates.
The results have been positive. After losing to Spain at Wembley, England recorded three wins: two against Czechia either side of the 7-0 victory against Croatia in Rijeka. They have in essence guaranteed their progress into the quarter-finals of a competition regarded as a tune-up for Euro 2028, while putting a bit of distance between themselves and the heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina in July.
It was a lot of high-ball wins and we took some calculated risks in the ‘man-man’ approach in the opponents’ half. We did it in all four games and we had four good performances if unfortunately not four wins. We didn’t beat Spain but it was always about the reaction and that was on a high level.” Tuchel’s assistant, Anthony Barry, talked on Monday about adding more flexibility and fluidity to the game model.
Tuchel was asked to elaborate. I am happy that what we did worked. We finally had two weeks with the team which helped a lot because we can do reviews of matches and training and we have a chance for a common language to sink in, for the patterns to sink in.” The defender Jarell Quansah said the style had evolved since the World Cup and felt more aggressive and front-footed.
We can really dominate teams with the lads playing in the Premier League at such a high level and high intensity. As soon as we score a goal, it’s not easing off, it’s going again, going again, trying to get the next goal, trying to put the next player under pressure. Everyone’s working for each other.
If someone gets outplayed, the next person is into a tackle. That’s what we wanted to do in this camp. We’ve shown how aggressive and dominant we can be against top nations in a tough group.
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