‘Now is the time for Tuchel to be truly judged’

Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 28

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When Thomas Tuchel was appointed as the head coach in England, it was widely accepted that the time to judge him correctly was not yet the time of the World Cup. Eligibility will be easy. Go through the collections section. The round of 32 against Ghana was difficult, the round of 16 against Mexico even more so. Given the quality of England’s performance, most people expected before the tournament that the quarter-final match would be very narrow. Cutting.

Now is the time for Tuchel to be truly judged. Today’s game against Norway tonight is where he can be fully tested. He has to throw prospects around to build a solid defense. He has to game plan to close Martin Odegaard’s room to direct it. He has to block the supply lines in the middle and go wide to Erling Haaland. He must respond to games with a change of fortune with a change of tactics or well-chosen introductions from the bench.

Tuchel should use tactical timeouts during the break to refresh the players or remind them of the game plan. He has to set the right tone and attitude with his talk in the locker room before the start of games, at halftime and maybe before the start of overtime. He must ensure that the players who have already been selected on the penalty list are mentally prepared for the tough challenge, the lonely walk from the half-way line, and the few potentially life-changing seconds in the spotlight.

Tuchel has the charisma, experience and intelligence to accomplish all of the above required in the Miami Heat. The players are emotionally connected to him and his staff. Listen to them. They love his positivity. They have seen his contribution. The way he responded to England going down to ten men at the Azteca was a masterclass in crisis response: from Declan Rice at right back to strengthening the defense and changing the system with Djed Spence, Big Dan Burn and John Stones, they all agreed to the demands, to Morgan Rogers coming to bring energy in midfield and attack. Tuchel committed himself to the game, stopping the wave that changed the course of Mexico.

As Bukayo Saka said of their time under Tuchel, with 15 wins and two draws in 19 games, “It’s been amazing. He’s been great for us on this journey and you’ve seen from the qualifiers until now the results we’ve had. Norway is a big test. But Tuchel will see you through. 2-1 England.

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Does Unai Simon get enough praise? Is it because the Spanish goalkeeper is not at the top level of the clubs, Athletic Club? Is it because most of the focus in Spain is on Lamine Yamal and other creators? That’s because Simon wasn’t even in the top 10 goalkeepers shortlisted for the 2025 Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy. However, Simon recently set the record for the longest run in the World Cup without scoring a goal – 609 minutes. Simon plays down the record, saying he faced only seven or eight attempts on his target during that time.

For one simple reason, Simon must be good: the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, David Raya, is kept on the bench in Spain. That level of competition should keep Simon on his toes but also show what a special Spain No.1 goalkeeper he is.

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England’s experience in the hot and humid conditions here, including the altitude, will be turned into a report and used to help Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses when they head to Brazil for the Women’s World Cup next summer.

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A host of World Cup innovations will happily remain on this side of the Atlantic when the game is over. Others to consider? Wider use of the ref-cam would be good for the Premier League. Broadcasters setting up an additional studio outside the stadium was successful in the World Cup; especially the USMNT games provided a lively backdrop. In the Premier League unfortunately there has always been a risk of some special language or controversial logo being written. The short-term insights from assistant coaches are worth further exploration.

Check out Henry Winter’s entire World Cup Diary here