German tactician Tuchel was entrusted with one of world football’s most high-profile international roles back in October with the brief of winning the 2026 World Cup, now less than 18 months away.
While his first two wins at the helm were full of positives, there is a lingering feeling that England are still a step away from being true World Cup contenders. What’s more, it's not clear if we’ll ever know if they are until the main event in North America is thrust upon us in July next year. That's right, it's not far away at all.
No disrespect to Albania and Latvia, but they are both sides England should beat, especially at Wembley, being ranked 65th and 140th by FIFA, respectively. And win England did, quite comfortably, in both cases.
Predictably, both qualifiers were typified by the visitors sitting deep in low blocks, with the hosts dominating possession, huffing and puffing to break down organised defences. No surprises there. Albania, as also expected, held on a bit better and longer than Latvia, who struggled to make an impact in Monday’s match.
So, what did we learn from those victories? Are England better now than under Gareth Southgate? Or, indeed, ready to win a World Cup? Of course not; it’s far too early to say that.
Tuchel has had but a few training sessions with his first-ever England squad and just two matches. It would be absurd to expect a huge transformation. They certainly weren’t bad. They showed encouraging flickers of flair and, importantly, got the wins. So, job done in many respects.
Here’s the problem, though: Between now and the World Cup, England face those two sides again, Serbia and Andorra twice, as well as Wales and Senegal in friendlies. Then it’s the new year, and the World Cup will be just six months away.
Are those matches going to prepare England for the challenges of winning a World Cup?
When they arrive at the now expanded 48-team tournament, which they really ought to qualify for quite easily, they will likely be the top seed in their group due to their world ranking (currently fourth). They will then face three winnable matches before the knockouts, which are now a phase longer than before, meaning there will be four knockout ties before a final.
Assuming England win their group and cruise through their first knockout tie before facing a top-tier opponent, they will have played (minimally) 12 matches under Tuchel, mostly against second-tier or vastly lower-ranked sides. They will then have the monumental task of winning three tough matches before a potential final.
You might be thinking, what about the Nations League? Won’t that provide some good warm-up opportunities? No, because the next edition of the UEFA Nations League doesn’t start until after the World Cup.
One thing that does spring to mind here is just how disastrous England’s Nations League demotion from League A to B back in 2022 was under Southgate. Had England not been relegated, they would have had far more top-tier nations to face both in the previous cycle and the current one, and they could still be in the competition now.
While France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal were winning extremely challenging Nations League quarter-finals in the ongoing international break, England were playing Albania and Latvia.
Fast forward to June, and while those same nations will be in the finals in Germany, the Three Lions will be preparing for a trip to Andorra... not quite the same intensity, is it?
It’s all moot, but the point holds: That Nations League relegation, which many fans brushed off as completely meaningless, has had a knock-on effect for England’s current World Cup preparation.
In summary, there are eight matches between now and the end of the year for Tuchel’s England that they should walk through, whether they are excellent or just good. Of course, they have the option to book a few more fixtures against top opposition before the World Cup, but they will be friendlies. And then it’s the main event.
As mentioned, it would be absurd to argue that England should be the finished article under Tuchel now or even soon. However, do the matches they have ahead of them offer the appropriate challenges to get to the level needed to beat the likes of Spain, Argentina, Brazil, France, Portugal or Germany in do-or-die knockout scenarios? I worry not.
The problem isn’t Tuchel - he’s a smart manager with a tremendous CV. The problem isn’t his players, either - there are bags of quality and brilliance in English football right now. The problem is that we won’t know how good this England side are until it’s too late for them to get better.
