Tormented Thomas Tuchel's England honeymoon is over. They are getting worse - and even qualifying for the World Cup isn't a certainty on this form, writes CRAIG HOPE
He asked England to play with a smile, made the locals frown by benching Morgan Gibbs-White and then spent much of the evening grimacing beneath the peak of a thinking cap that offered precious few answers. Thomas Tuchel, your honeymoon period is over. Best swap that cap for a crash helmet.
In truth, the honeymoon ended on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Andorra that was so unconvincing it felt more like a defeat. Well, here was an actual defeat, and a deserved one at that.
It used to be said that England would beat the rest and lose to the best. Now, they are losing to those who populate the middle ground. Senegal are 19th in the FIFA rankings, one place below Iran. Gareth Southgate 's England beat both of those easily at the 2022 World Cup. But Senegal were too bright for Tuchel's side here at the City Ground. Too quick. Too skilful. Put simply, too good.
England may have an excuse, as Harry Kane claims, for being tired at the end of a 'long, hard season'. But here is a reminder: the World Cup also takes place at the end of a long, hard season - will you be tired then, too?
In reality, England have played tired for a long time now. The sun doesn't have to be shining for our star names to wilt in white. For all Southgate sought to lighten the weight of the jersey - and he did so successfully - it's as if we're back to the days of it being stitched with lead. You watch them and wonder why it all looks so unenjoyable, like children dropped off at school in the summer holidays.
They really think they'll be able to turn it on like a tap in 12 months' time? Sorry, lads, the reserves will be dry then. The notion of all being OK in the distance is a mirage. Football isn't Netflix. You put the hard yards in now and those travelled down the line feel that little bit shorter.
Staff can have all the data they like on core body temperatures, but if England's players continue to run cold like this, they might as well take a match to the numbers, because the scoreline will trump the science. And why is there an assumption that England will go to Albania and Serbia in their autumn qualifiers and win? The more you see of them, the less sure you become of their direct passage to North America. They're getting worse, not better.
Tuchel knows as much. He looked tormented at times here. There was a lot of clapping above his head in the first half. Loud clapping. Thunderclaps, almost, the sort that make you look and wonder why he is being so appreciative when England still have the ball in their own half.
But the bar for improvement was low. The sight of his team emerging from a dark alley near their own corner flag and into daylight was pleasing for Tuchel. He returned to the dugout, though, when his players then staggered down a blind alley.
He looked like he wanted to pull his hair out when Declan Rice later played a ball straight out of play, but had to make do with tugging on the threads of his cap. He wasn't thrilled either when Conor Gallagher ran through the middle and arrived at a fork in the road - pass left and Anthony Gordon is in the clear or choose the scenic route to the right and ask Bukayo Saka to beat three men. We all watched in pained silence as Saka fell at the third hurdle.
That was going forward, but his greater concerns were in defence. Tuchel named three right backs in his squad and did not start any of them in that position on Saturday. He did this time, and at least Kyle Walker's performance provided the manager with an answer to one of his many questions - that being, don't start Kyle Walker.
He has always been too dependent on his pace to dig him out of a hole. When the legs don't scurry as quickly as they once did, a laboured mind is exposed. When Senegal equalised late in the first half, it was Walker caught on his heels - which isn't great up against Ismaila Sarr, a forward who plays exclusively on his toes. The best all do - and the best will be at the World Cup, by which time Walker will be 36.
It's time, you feel, to present the defender with a framed shirt at Wembley, even if that does fall a few caps shy of a century. So there is one positive to come from this, even if it is a negative.
And what of Ivan Toney, belatedly introduced in the 88th minute? He, you assume, has either trained like a player who has spent a season in the Saudi Pro League, or he spat out one of Tuchel's biometric tablets. The striker was included so the manager could take a good look at him. He must not like what he has seen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The secrets of Nottinghamshire's remarkable rise: How an injection of youth, clever recruitment and the evolution of Haseeb Hameed has helped charge to County Championship summit
Halfway up the hill, Nottinghamshire are looking down on the rest of the County Championship. As first-class action returns to domestic cricket this weekend, even their most fervent fans would be forgiven for thinking the Division One table has been turned upside down.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Former Premier League football star 'is declared bankrupt' - but says at £2million mansion he had 'no idea' about legal ruling
A former Premier League footballer who has been declared bankrupt is insisting he had 'no idea' all his valuable assets could now be seized. Lee Clark, 52, an ex-midfielder for Newcastle United, Sunderland and Fulham, said yesterday from his £2m mansion that he was oblivious to the risks. This is despite his bank accounts and savings now being potentially earmarked to pay unsecured creditors, if the debt is not addressed. The petitioner was a finance firm called One Stop Business based in York. Mr Clark told the Mirror from his house in Jesmond, Newcastle: 'I have no idea. I have no comment to make I know nothing.' The former player made 200 appearances at Newcastle United before moving to Sunderland in 1997 after signing a £2.5million deal. But his decision to war a T-shirt bearing the slogan 'Sad Mackem B*****' at the 1999 FA Cup final angered a number of fans. He then moved to Fulham before a brief return to Newcastle. Following the end of his playing career in 2006, Mr Clark managed Huddersfield, Birmingham City and Blackpool, spending time in Sudan and Oman. His son, Bobby, went on to play for Liverpool before joining RB Salzburg. News of Mr Clark's financial situation comes after ex-football ace Trevor Sinclair also declared bankruptcy last week. Last year, the Mail revealed Mr Clark regretted wearing the 'Sad Mackem B****d' t-shirt that ended his Sunderland career. Speaking to Mail Sport, he said: 'Of course, I've got regrets. It was like biting the hand that feeds you. 'There were no camera phones then, just the old disposable ones and a few cameras clicked and it came out a few weeks later. It made my position at Sunderland untenable.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Gutted' West Coast Eagles stalwart Jeremy McGovern gets shocking news that has left fans reeling
A 'gutted' Jeremy McGovern will leave the AFL as a West Coast great after being forced into premature retirement through concussion. McGovern announced his 197-game career was over on Friday, with the decision made for the key defender by the AFL's concussion panel. The 2018 premiership player suffered a head knock in the Eagles' round-eight fixture against Melbourne and was referred to the panel after failing to recover following the mandatory 12-day period. Lauded as the intercept king, the 33-year-old etched himself into West Coast history with his famous mark in their 2018 grand final win. Overcoming internal bleeding in the lead-up to the eventual five-point victory, McGovern's quality shone through when he ditched his man - Collingwood star Jordan De Goey - to intercept Adam Treloar's kick inside-50. The move kickstarted the chain that ended in Dom Sheed's match-winning goal. The Eagles star helped lead the side to the 2018 grand final and AFL premiership before the club hit dark days He finished that season with 77 intercept marks, the most in 2018. 'It's been an absolute honour to pull on the West Coast jumper for the past 15 years and it's something that I will forever be grateful for,' McGovern said in a club statement. 'As much as this isn't the way I would have liked to go out, I respect the decision. 'I'm gutted I don't get to pull the jumper on and run out one more time, but sometimes this is the way the game goes.' McGovern arrived at the Eagles from North Albany with pick No.44 in the 2010 rookie draft. But it wasn't until mid-way through the 2014 season, at age 22, that McGovern earned his AFL debut under former coach Adam Simpson. The lynchpin of the Eagles defence, McGovern established himself in 2015 and earned four-straight All-Australian nods from 2016 to 2019. He ends his career as the club's reigning John Worsfold medallist and as a five-time All-Australian, having collected another blazer in 2024. McGovern and former coach Adam Simpson share a moment in the club's match against Collingwood in 2022 'To the club, I can't explain how much you have given me over my time here, and I can't thank you enough for drafting a fat kid from Albany and giving him a crack,' McGovern said. 'I've always loved the game and winning a premiership is every kid's dream, but the lifelong friendships and relationships you build through footy mean more to me than anything. 'I will forever be indebted to West Coast, and I will always bleed blue and gold.' McGovern's exit follows that of former West Coast teammate Luke Edwards, who stepped away from the game last October to focus on his recovery from multiple concussions. Collingwood duo Nathan Murphy and Josh Carmichael, Melbourne premiership player Angus Brayshaw and Western Bulldogs draftee Aiden O'Driscoll also had their careers cut short in 2024 because of concussion.
