It’s been more than two months since England last played a match, but for many the pain still rankles.
Leading 1-0 against bitter rivals Argentina, the Three Lions were less than ten minutes away from a historic World Cup final on foreign soil. We all know what happened next.
Two goals in quick succession turned the game on its head and sent England crashing out.
The fallout contained plenty of hurt and acrimony. Now, the national side is set for a return with no fewer than four games in the space of two weeks as they embark on the Nations League. England have home games against Spain, Czech Republic (twice) and Croatia.
Here, we list some of the things to look out for across this newly-extended break.
Tuchel’s approach – on and off the field
Amid all the words written and spoken after the World Cup exit, Tuchel retained the faith of his bosses within the Football Association.
The same can’t be said of the England fanbase, despite guiding the country to its best-ever World Cup showing on foreign soil as they finished third.
Many fans have questioned Tuchel’s tactics and substitutions during the tournament, especially during the latter stages of the Argentina game. The German hit back in various media duties as he called into question the ‘DNA’ and mindset of English football.
Understandably, those comments did little to appease many supporters. Some have called for a change, although given Tuchel penned a new contract way before the tournament began that was never likely to happen – barring a disaster early exit.
There’s no doubting that Tuchel needs to win back the vast majority of fans and to that end this quartet of games will be fascinating to see how it all unfolds. His approach on the pitch and off it will be scrutinised like never before.
TAA is back
One of the big talking points over the summer was the non-inclusion of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the World Cup squad. Many believed his versatility and dead-ball specialty would prove a vital asset for England, but Tuchel opted otherwise.
Now, he’s back in the picture although his recall did come with a slight caveat from his national boss who, when asked whether Alexander-Arnold offers enough defensively, said: “He has to, it’s necessary. My conviction is that he will but he has no choice.”
The big Harry Kane dilemma
This isn’t so much about Kane himself. We all know his world class quality and pedigree. More than enough times he has dug his country out of trouble, especially during the summer.
It’s more a case of who can show themselves to be the standout candidate in Kane’s absence or late on in a game.
Former England striker Emile Heskey touched on this subject in an interview with the Gazette recently, saying: “Thomas Tuchel has got great options to pick from, especially with the forwards. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s on fire at the minute, so will he play? It looks totally different when we play without Kane up front. Some players are not going to drop in like Kane, they may prefer to stretch the defence. So then you get more space as a number 10.
“It’s going to be a really interesting one to see what he actually does, who he goes with in these games and what it looks like.”
Fresh faces
Each squad – especially after a major tournament – brings with it new names or players who have had limited exposure to international football. This latest roster is no different.
It will be interesting to see how much game time is afforded to the likes of Alex Scott, Jarrad Branthwaite and Rio Ngumoha.
But arguably the most fascinating player to keep an eye on over the next few weeks will be Morgan Gibbs-White. He was superb for Nottingham Forest last season and a major reason they stayed in the Premier League. His summer snub was a genuine shock, to many neutral fans and clearly the player himself.
He clearly wasn’t expecting the call this time around either, as he was on a family holiday when he was summoned as a replacement following a spate of withdrawals.
Gibbs-White possesses plenty of stardust and this block of four games will surely give him the platform to display just what he can do with the England badge on his shirt.
