England head to land of opportunity
Still some tweaks needed but Tuchel has his team in good shape
England have qualified impressively for the World Cup, as they should do from an unchallenging group. Thomas Tuchel’s side deserve to travel across the pond amongst the tier of contenders just behind the favourites, Spain and France. England have a good, increasingly settled team with a strong spine. They have a robust cast of understudies. They have an outstanding manager capable of changing games with a tweak or a sub. Tuchel’s staff and the FA will already be sorting their base in the US and a pre-tournament acclimatisation camp, probably in Miami. And hoping everyone stays fit. Here are five things that England now need to make sure they do…
TAKE FIT PLAYERS
It’s obvious but England haven’t always done it at World Cups. Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking arrived like the cavalry but really too late in 1982. David Beckham wasn’t fully fit from his metatarsal break in 2002. Ditto Wayne Rooney in 2006. At the last World Cup, in 2022, England took Kyle Walker, who’d not played for a month after groin surgery, and didn’t play in the first two games, although he kept pace with France’s Kylian Mbappe in the quarter-final. England also travelled with Kalvin Phillips, who was regaining fitness after shoulder surgery, and managed only 40 minutes out in Qatar. James Maddison was selected but had a knee problem, the media provided breathless updates as he jogged out for every training session, one day donned his boots to great excitement but sadly never got on the pitch. Fully fit players will be even more important given the hot conditions and Tuchel’s desire to play with a Premier League-style pressing intensity.
START BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS…
Use the remaining games before the World Cup, qualifiers and friendlies, to bed in partnerships. Tuchel has to make a call of who partners Marc Guehi – John Stones or Ezri Konsa. Stones brings control and anticipation while Konsa showed his pace with that recovery tackle against Latvia in Riga. If Stones is fit, he has to start. That pass to Anthony Gordon showed how Stones can beat defensively obdurate opponents. Tuchel needs to build up the connection between Reece James and Bukayo Saka down the right. Over on the left, there is an obvious Newcastle United link if Tuchel starts Tino Livramento behind Gordon. If Livramento is going to drift into midfield, as required by coaches, Gordon may have to drop off. Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice are already forming a strong partnership in central midfield. Tuchel has to bed that in further, building their understanding even more.
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RE-ASSIMILATE JUDE BELLINGHAM.
Morgan Rogers seized his opportunity in the 10 position under Tuchel but was subdued in Riga. He’s always on the move, scanning for team-mates and possibilities, but was the least effective of Tuchel’s attackers. If Tuchel now feels he has made his point to Bellingham then he needs to recall one of his very best players for the November internationals. The galloping narrative that Bellingham disrupts the equilibrium in the dressing-room is not born out by his endorsement by players as part of the leadership group under Gareth Southgate. Tuchel has to be more careful how he talks about Bellingham as it adds to the negative coverage around a young (22-year-old) player who has shown he’s a potential match-winner.