Tuchel talking to wrong fan-base about scars… England boss must be bold with squad AND tactics, not just Southgate 2.0
DID Thomas Tuchel make a major tactical balls-up against Argentina? Is water wet? The Pope Catholic? We finally got the answer to one of these imponderables fro...
Written byEze Chidiebere Paul
DID Thomas Tuchel make a major tactical balls-up against Argentina? Is water wet? The Pope Catholic?
We finally got the answer to one of these imponderables from the man himself this week during an hour-long interview with .
, that is, not the Pope.
Thomas Tuchel is speaking to the wrong crowd when he talks about England ‘scars’ Credit: Getty
Tuchel must be bold with his tactical choices and not a Gareth Southgate 2.0 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
During a sit-down chat titled Reflections, the boss admitted he went too defensive, too early against the Argies in World Cup semi-finals.
As we all know, and Co sat back to try to defend a 1-0 lead with the best part of half an hour to go, only to concede twice late on.
The German also spoke of his “scars”, and those of his team, after the heartbreaking exit, adding that it was his pain to bear.
You’re talking to the wrong fanbase about scars, old boy.
Whether it was the Hand of God, going out on penalties to West in 1990 or failing to qualify entirely four years later.
The Beckham red in Saint-Etienne, the fluke freekick, more penalty heartache at the hands of and the winker, .
Embarrassment in , via a goal that never was, and group-stage humiliation in . We’ve seen it all.
That’s without mentioning the number of gut-wrenching defeats at Euros over the years, including in the last two finals.
Every England football fan has scars, either from watching garbage under , and , or suffering heartbreak under Bobby Robson, and .
After 60 years of punishment, we’re covered in them.
The point is that Tuchel was meant to be the man who came in and changed all that, who didn’t make catastrophic tactical decisions with a World Cup final on the line.
Instead, at the critical point in a seismic match, what we got was Southgate 2.0.
While generally beloved as England chief, Southgate was always out-matched whenever it came down to the really big games against the likes of and Luis de la Fuente.
We can’t keep going round and round in circles making the same mistakes, otherwise we risk wasting another excellent crop of English players.
There’s been a pattern over the years of England coaches managing expectations downwards before a ball has even been kicked.
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The semi-final collapse to Argentina was the latest England heartbreak Credit: Getty
To talk about pain and gaps to the “top nations” rather than backing this latest golden generation to close that gap themselves.
Southgate’s caution cost England in too many big matches. Tuchel cannot inherit that same flinch.
We are all tired of talk about mental scars, of self-flagellation after another disappointment and insisting that lessons will be learned. It’s time to deliver.
After all, there were actually some positives to take from a World Cup in which we achieved our best finish since 1966.
The night, or rather early morning, at the Azteca will always be one of the great England wins, overcoming a good side and thumping , albeit in a game nobody wants to play in.
We need to look forward and Tuchel has to divert all of his energy into England’s response. We all know Atlanta was a mess — now what is he going to do about it?
There can be no better opportunity to get the country back onside than against the world champions at Wembley tomorrow week.
He will announce his squad for the upcoming international break today, and it is an opportunity to give some fresh blood, who perhaps aren’t bearing so many scars, a crack.
Cole Palmer is set for an England recall Credit: Getty
Max Dowman will be in Tuchel’s thoughts before the Euros in 2028 Credit: Getty
is a no-brainer, as are and .
It might be too early for , 18, and 16, but they should get a look in over the next 18 months.
The vast majority of England fans will tell you we’d rather go down fighting than clinging on for dear life with ten men camped on the edge of our own box.
We don’t want more of the same. That is what Tuchel promised, and that’s what he NEEDS to deliver.
LAMP LIGHT
FRANK LAMPARD is already back under the spotlight — and not for the right reasons.
His Coventry side have played well in spells on their long-awaited return to the Prem.
But they have zero cutting edge up front and they’re so bad defensively they make look like prime, early 90s .
It’s not the greatest recipe for success in the world’s toughest league and, on the evidence of the first few weeks, they look certainties to go back down.
Lampard repaired his damaged reputation by winning the Championship title last season — but a disastrous campaign in the top flight will be difficult to recover from.
Frank Lampard could see the good work he did in repairing his managerial reputation undone with a disastrous season for Coventry Credit: Getty
When do Tottenham really start to panic with Roberto De Zerbi? Credit: PA
DE-DAY DATE
AT what point do Tottenham fans seriously start to panic?
They look just as bad as they have done for the past two seasons, despite investing the GDP of a small country in the squad this summer.
The pressure is seriously mounting on boss , who did his best imitation last week by publicly dressing down forward , 21, on the pitch after the bore draw with .
It seemed to go down as well as a cup of cold sick. So tomorrow’s lunchtime game against a rebuilding is a fascinating one, and if they drop points again you get the feeling the atmosphere is going to be unbearably toxic.
GRACE RACING
IF only a few of our do-gooder MPs were at Doncaster last weekend, they’d have seen needs cherishing.
The Government have it in for the industry right now, which in turn means the future of the second-most popular sport in the UK is under growing threat.
But if they’d gone to Donny, they’d have seen 30,000 people having a few bets and a blinding day out.
And the scenes after Saffie Osborne, 24, became the first woman to win a British Classic in the St Leger will live long in the memory.
Racing is such a precious sport to millions — if you get a spare minute, maybe remind your local MP of that.
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