The replacement of Gareth Southgate with Thomas Tuchel means England have upgraded their tactical acumen. However, making that transition is always fraught with risk.
Southgate has created a united England squad that believes in what is possible rather than being cowed by the fear of failure. Harry Kane has hinted at this in his comments. The Bayern Munich striker believes that a positive culture “takes a long time to build and can be lost very quickly”. So Tuchel will need to move quickly to boost the culture of the squad.
A new manager will certainly bring a breath of fresh air, usually a positive one. But Tuchel is also aware that there are still rumours of internal problems within England at EURO 2024. Southgate’s leadership group at that tournament included Kane, Declan Rice, Bellingham and Kyle Walker.
With all four players expected to play at the 2026 World Cup, Tuchel could easily maintain the same leadership group as Southgate, but the German can still assert his authority by making changes.
Jordan Pickford is a strong candidate with 73 caps for England, while Bukayo Saka has also occasionally taken on the role of Arsenal captain if Martin Odegaard is out injured.
Caretaker manager Lee Carsley has done a fine job in the interim, returning to his role as Under-21 manager after a 5-0 win over Ireland at Wembley.
With 5 wins after 6 matches in charge, Carsley not only helped the "Three Lions" get promoted to Nations League A but also created a good foundation for Tuchel to continue to develop. England owns an elite squad of stars, who are the pillars of top European teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal or Man City. However, that comes with the difficulty of maintaining a stable dressing room.
With Carsley boldly expanding the pool of players available for selection, Tuchel will have more personnel options and tactical customization. Stars do not always guarantee success at international level and Tuchel's job is to create harmony.
"Leading the England team is a job worthy of an elite coach like Tuchel. Not only did we get promoted from the Nations League, we also discovered many new factors for Tuchel. I'm sure choosing personnel for the next training session will be a challenge for him" - Casley said before saying goodbye to the England team.
