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No need to panic – Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel’s call for a more positive approach backfired spectacularly as England suffered a humiliating defeat to Senegal, prompting significant fan backlash.
With the 2026 World Cup just a year away, this dismal performance casts serious doubt on England’s prospects unless Tuchel can orchestrate a dramatic turnaround in the coming months.
A lack of clear tactical plan, identity, and demonstrable improvement – arguably even regression – since Gareth Southgate’s departure after the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain has left many concerned.
England’s Euro 2024 campaign was characterized by isolated moments of brilliance, such as Bellingham’s overhead kick, rather than consistent strong performances.
This pattern has continued under Tuchel, but without the exceptional moments.
Despite three wins against weaker opponents, the “new era” has stumbled, and even Tuchel appeared surprised by the intense hostility directed at him and his team by remaining fans after the 3-1 defeat.
While Tuchel might cite mitigating factors like the ten changes made from the Andorra match and the friendly’s nature at the end of a long season, the defeat remains a sobering reality. Senegal comprehensively outplayed England.
England’s performance against Andorra was poor; their performance against Senegal was even worse.
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England manager Thomas Tuchel faced the ire of fans following the friendly defeat to Senegal at the City Ground.
This level of discontent after only four matches is unexpected, but the fans’ dissatisfaction with Tuchel’s approach since replacing Southgate is clear.
Cheikh Sabaly’s late goal and the final whistle ignited further anger among supporters.
Tuchel’s appointment was intended to bring a fresh atmosphere after Southgate’s eight-year tenure, but the fans’ reaction suggests they aren’t seeing the desired improvement and optimism so close to the World Cup.
Paper airplanes, a common symbol of fan discontent, were seen in previous games against Latvia and Albania. At the City Ground, the initial enthusiasm quickly turned to jeers and shouts of “disgraceful” as the players left the pitch.
While it’s early in his tenure, Tuchel is undoubtedly under pressure after a difficult period marked by a lackluster performance against Andorra and a significant defeat to Senegal.
He’ll have time to reflect before the upcoming matches against Andorra and Serbia in September, but the honeymoon period, if one ever existed, is definitively over.
Veteran Kyle Walker endured a challenging night against Senegal, failing to track back for Ismaila Sarr’s equalizer.
Tuchel’s ten changes for the Senegal friendly are understandable, but many of his decisions since taking charge have been questionable.
Some decisions have been perplexing.
The recall of Jordan Henderson, soon to turn 35, was surprising and raised concerns about Tuchel’s assessment of leadership within the squad.
The Ajax midfielder’s start against Andorra proved ineffective, suggesting this experiment is likely over.
Kyle Walker’s performance against Senegal, in his 96th appearance, strongly suggested the end of his international career is near.
The right-back’s lapse leading to Sarr’s goal, followed by a reckless challenge, highlighted his decline. He became the oldest player to feature for England since Frank Lampard in 2014.
This raises questions about Tuchel’s judgment regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was overlooked in favor of Curtis Jones and Walker.
Tuchel’s apparent reservations about Alexander-Arnold’s defensive capabilities seem questionable given the performances of the aging Walker and Jones, a midfielder deployed out of position.
Reece James, another right-back option, was used at left-back against Andorra.
Based on current form, neither Henderson nor Walker appear to have a place in the World Cup squad.
Ivan Toney’s late introduction against Senegal was another questionable decision.
Does England possess a clear identity under Tuchel? Has any tangible improvement been seen?
While it is early, the answer to both is a resounding “no”.
England, consistently unspectacular, have dispatched weaker opponents in qualifying matches under Tuchel, beating Latvia, Albania, and Andorra.
Even these victories have raised concerns, particularly the struggle against Andorra, ranked 173rd globally.
Such results drew criticism of Southgate, despite his achievements. Tuchel has failed to elevate the team’s performance, and there is no clear direction.
The manager known for using three central defenders with wing-backs at Chelsea has yet to utilize this tactic with England, with time running short before the World Cup.
Tuchel lacks the injured John Stones and seems uncertain about Marc Guehi, cycling through alternatives like Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah.
His focus on pace and power, evidenced by Dan Burn’s inclusion, hasn’t yielded a cohesive unit.
Jude Bellingham, yet to find his optimal role under Tuchel, showed his frustration after a late goal was disallowed against Senegal.
Tuchel hasn’t determined Bellingham’s best position, whether as a number 10, central midfielder, or closer to the striker.
The challenge lies in identifying and establishing his best role within the team.
Tuchel’s attacking selections seem haphazard, experimenting with various combinations.
He used different attacking combinations against Andorra and Senegal, with Kane and Saka appearing to be regular starters.
The other attacking slots remain uncertain, with Phil Foden potentially returning if he excels next season.
Despite the array of attacking talent, Tuchel is yet to settle on his best approach and system.
Twelve months may seem long, but time will pass quickly, raising questions about Tuchel’s decision to start working on January 1st despite his October appointment.
Were those three months wasted?
England captain Harry Kane offered context, stating on BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is only the manager’s second camp, and we have many young and inexperienced players at this level. International football differs from club football. But these aren’t excuses, it’s reality. We must be ready for next season.”
Tuchel, it’s worth noting, became the first England manager to win his first three qualifiers without conceding a goal, yet this achievement is far from impressive or overly optimistic given England’s overall performance.
Is everything negative? No.
England has won its three World Cup qualifiers, and there is still a year until his impact is truly assessed.
At the core is captain Kane, who scored his 73rd England goal in his 107th appearance.
He has scored in all four of England’s games under Tuchel—a first for an England manager’s first four matches.
Kane’s prolific form under Tuchel, boasting 48 goals in 49 appearances (44 at Bayern Munich and four for England), is his best goals-per-game record (0.98).
Tuchel remains optimistic, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s tough learning, but we must stay calm. We need to accept criticism and improve. We took a serious approach against Andorra, and here we made changes to see what they show in training. I felt we played with relief and more risk when 2-1 down. This shows me that our self-expectations are holding us back. The World Cup is not next week. We have two more games in September, then we meet again in the World Cup season. We need these kinds of matches to learn.”
Hopefully, Tuchel’s optimism is well-founded.
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