THE NEVER-ENDING FOOTBALLING DEBATE: ARE ENGLAND CAPABLE OF WINNING ANOTHER WORLD CUP?

By Leo Hewitt-Provost

When the Football Association appointed Gareth Southgate in September 2016 to become the England national football team’s head manager, many people were sceptical with the decision to go with the ex-England international, whose managerial career up until that point wasn’t necessarily one to be boasting about. But others were hopeful that someone who had worked closely with the FA was given a chance to be in charge of the senior squad after managing the England Under-21s for the most part of three years. There were mixed feelings in England, people wanted the squad to be more imposing and threatening, whilst others wanted stability and prudence, hence why the FA decided to go with Southgate; someone with a cautious managerial style who could depend on his star players would he have needed to.

By the time Gareth Southgate parted ways with this new golden generation two days after the 2024 Euros final defeat against Spain, England still hadn’t won anything since 1966, posing the ever so important question: was Southgate more successful than his peers Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan or even Roy Hodgson to name a few? The answer is no. Despite the numerous claims in the English media, the expectations in England were that Gareth Southgate needed to win silverware with the most talented squad any England manager had ever been in charge of, despite Gareth Southgate reaching two Euros final and two World Cup semi-finals. Was he judged too harshly or did he get it wrong? Some might say a bit of both.

At the end of the day, the FA has had to think about what the national team needed in the long-term. It wasn’t all dark memories for English fans, who wouldn’t trade the feeling of being so close to touching silverware for anything else in the world. Gareth Sougate made England fans believe that winning the Euros and a World Cup was possible, something previous managers failed to take into consideration, to give people hope.

This task of making England fans believe that success is inevitable and will come back is a difficult one, one that will necessitate a lot of hard work, but also a lot of belief. In recent times, the England national squad have not been able to create exciting football, and most football fans will tend to agree with this statement. Instead, some of the most talented football players in the world, such as Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer hardly seemed comfortable playing together last summer like a welded team would.

THOMAS TUCHEL: A NEW ERA

The question on everybody’s mind is the following: can England win the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico? That will all depend on one man, who will be in the biggest of spotlights on the grandest stages of them all: Thomas Tuchel.

The FA appointed Thomas Tuchel when Gareth Southgate left the England squad, a decision that should have, in theory and unanimously unified English fans, but it was the English media who once again questioned why the FA had not gone with an English manager. A simple look in recent times should be a clear indicator, though, it hasn’t worked.

So why the decision to go with the German manager instead of going with an English manager? Experience and a winning track record for starters. Thomas Tuchel has obviously worked behind English closed doors during his time at Chelsea, winning the Champions League and Super Cup in 2021 with the club. This is something the FA would have looked at, and whilst international managers have never found the secret to success with the England national team, Tuchel knows most of the players and can cause a real threat in the game against practically anyone.

Let’s take a closer look at Thomas Tuchel and his managerial style, what does it actually look like on paper and what does that mean?

  • When Thomas Tuchel joined Chelsea, he made sure to tighten up his backline, as a result, this Chelsea squad was one of the most prolific teams in Europe, conceding very few goals.
  • Most people know Tuchel as playing with a 3-4-2-1 formation, he often puts an emphasis on stability and compactness.
  • BUT he is more than capable of varying his style of play, depending on his opponents, he can switch from a back three to a back four if needed, showing flexibility.
  • He enjoys possession play but is also comfortable playing reactive football, having to adapt to the game
  • Pragmatic, tactical and adaptive.

The important thing for this England squad will be to work as one unit. Thomas Tuchel often prioritises a solid structure, and will more often than not play with two wing-backs but won’t take massive risks, like Gareth Southgate. So in a way, people have a right to question his appointment. People’s criticism of this England squad in recent years is that there hasn’t been enough risk-taking and no overall smooth playing style. Whether or not Thomas Tuchel will want to play with more swagger will depend completely on what his best eleven will look like.

Does Jude Bellingham drop into a double-pivot position, or does he play as an inside forward with Phil Foden? If so, who does Tuchel pair Declan Rice with? Where does Bukayo Saka fit into it? With the wing-back positions in this moment in time being a bit of a question mark, Thomas Tuchel will need to find his best back three, because that’s where he thrives, and that’s where people will judge him when his back is turned against the wall when England eventually have to face some of the best players in the world in the latter stages of the competition.

One thing is for sure, the English media must not overestimate this England squad (even though it is unavoidable, it has already started…), because it has happened way too many times in the past, and they certainly must not underestimate anyone going into this tournament, because we know how well individuals can shine and change a game by themselves if they need to; something Thomas Tuchel also needs to have a look at, if he finds himself struggling to create clear cut chances.

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