England’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra in June couldn’t have been much more Same Old England.
Thomas Tuchel took his side to the home of Espanyol to face the lowest-ranked team in Group K and saw a performance that must have been familiar to him as an acolyte of English football.
The Three Lions laboured against two banks of five camped in Andorra’s defensive third. They ran out of ideas, the game slowed down, Harry Kane scored and they did just about enough to escape the worst instincts of the tabloids.
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England’s intent and energy will be key
Harry Kane celebrates his goal against Andorra with Jude Bellingham(Image credit: MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
Tuchel’s team are top of their group before they renew acquaintances with Andorra on Saturday, having won all three of their qualifiers without conceding a goal. It was never qualifying that the new England manager would find challenging.
By appointing a manager with a short-term reputation on a short-term basis, the FA nailed itself to a singular target: England winning the World Cup. Football doesn’t always go to plan, but that is the plan.
Jordan Pickford speaks to Thomas Tuchel(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tuchel spoke to the media on Friday ahead of the qualifier against Andorra at Villa Park and called for a more dynamic performance than the display that saw England squeak past the same opposition in Barcelona.
Asked what England supporters say to him in the street, Tuchel said: “I get a lot of tips, that’s for sure, but always in a friendly manner. Most of them just say ‘Bring it home, Thomas.’
“I didn’t like [the previous game against Andorra]. It’s also down to me. The structure was not ideal to speed the game up. We made it a bit too easy for Andorra to find the moments to close us down and to find the right moments to slow our game down.
“It can also feel a bit like chewing gum to break a block down like this but in general we have to play with more energy, we have to play with more enthusiasm and so far I’m pretty sure that we will.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tuchel probably doesn’t really care whether it takes five minutes or fifty to break down the visitors in Birmingham on Saturday, just like he probably doesn’t really care if they win 1-0 or 5-0. His goal is to go to the World Cup next summer with a team he believes will win it. That’s what he cares about.
England can be stodgy and frustrating, and the last two European Championships demonstrated the positives in that. They need to do more than plod along, not just because they should, but because they can.
Their manager knows that and supporters do too. Blowing the likes of Andorra out of the water isn’t an end, just part of the means. A more energetic England, a more enthusiastic England, a more dynamic England, is a better England.
And an England capable of getting anywhere near winning the World Cup next summer can only be an England that’s performing at its very best. If Tuchel can unlock that, the enthusiasm will follow in the stands and around the country too.
Tuchel in England training(Image credit: Getty Images)
They have the players for it. Most if not all the pieces are present and correct, and the majority are doing it at the highest levels of the club game.
Tuchel knows where his priorities should be as England face Andorra at home and Serbia away over the next few days. It’s not about giving the players a rocket where the sun don’t shine – football is more sophisticated than that – but the manager will hope to achieve the same effect.
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