FIFA Days in November was supposed to be the time when Thomas Tuchel was officially appointed England manager. The German could name his first Three Lions squad and take charge of the match against Greece this weekend.
This could be a good start for Tuchel before entering the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Besides, the new England captain will have the opportunity to introduce his philosophy to the players. Even if it is only a week of work, that time is very valuable.
However, Tuchel has yet to start work with the England team. Instead, the next two matches of the "Three Lions" against Greece and Ireland will still be led by Lee Carsley.
England have undergone a lot of change since EURO 2024. Under Carsley, the squad has seen new players, new styles, new tactics, but also new fragility. They have not shown the solidity they did when Gareth Southgate was in charge. The match against Greece at Wembley on 10 October was an example, when Carsley's defence was repeatedly breached, a performance worse than any other under Southgate.
More importantly, the last few weeks have been dominated by the identity of England’s next manager. Carsley has faced constant questions about his future and seems uncomfortable in the interim role. Now that Carsley is certain to return to the U21s, is there really a need for him to take charge of the next two games?
At the press conference to introduce Thomas Tuchel, FA CEO Mark Bullingham said that letting the German coach start work in January 2025 will help him focus on the World Cup qualifying campaign. At the same time, his coaching team is not complete as assistant Anthony Barry will still support the Portuguese team this month.
However, there are many skeptics about the reason behind Tuchel's decision to delay. Even he admitted that his preparation time was very short when the first match will take place in March 2025.
Assuming two games per FIFA Days and a few friendlies in preparation for the World Cup, the team’s US opener would only be Tuchel’s 15th under him, making skipping two games this month seem unlikely, as they are a chance for him to learn and establish his initial tactics.
Tuchel may want to start with World Cup qualifying rather than Nations League, but that’s not entirely up to him. If England finish second or third in their group, they will have to play the Nations League play-offs in March instead of World Cup qualifying. If they are drawn into a group of four teams (rather than five), qualifying will not begin until September, nearly 11 months after Tuchel signed.
Downtime is inevitable in the national team and no one can blame the FA or Tuchel for the fixture list. However, the biggest drawback is the short contact time with the players, which will be a big lesson for Tuchel after many years at club level. Meanwhile, England will try to steer their own way in the remaining two games without knowing where their next destination will be.
