Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel enjoyed the ideal start to his England reign
The performance and level of opposition signalled much of the same but Thomas Tuchel’s post-match comments following England’s run-of-the-mill win over Albania was a hint of why this time things might well be different.
A common theme throughout Gareth Southgate’s almost reign was how the manager backed his players through thick and thin no matter what. Even when the difficult questions came, Southgate would more often than not find a way to spin it into a positive for his players.
But Tuchel has already shown he is not afraid of demanding more from his squad by – relative to what’s gone before – hammering Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for making no impact on Albania. It was a big chance for both to impress after difficult seasons to date but they were subdued and Tuchel was more than happy to call them out.
“We hope for more impact in these positions,” Tuchel said. “More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general that was missing.
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“The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be. Both our wingers who started were not as impactful as they can be in club football. I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quickly to them.”
A puzzle for Tuchel to solve but more so a swift reminder to the players about what to expect throughout the next 18 months.
If Southgate’s finest triumph was installing a culture that made the players enjoy being with the national team after years of what many former pros said was a toxic environment, then this promises something different.
Tuchel wants to see more from both Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford
Tuchel wants to see more from both Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford
It will not be a return to the dark days of club rivalries causing divides in the changing room and players who have worked under Tuchel in the club game will stress that if you’re on his side there are few better man-managers in the game.
But he is also ruthless when he sees something he does not like and more than happy to play the media game when required.
Friday night’s comments may have singled out Foden and Rashford but make no mistake: this was a warning shot to his entire squad.
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