When Thomas Tuchel was appointed England head coach, the reaction across corners of the British media was as predictable as it was cynical. Sceptics questioned whether a German tactician could ever truly capture the national footballing psyche.
Yet, long before England secured bronze at this year’s World Cup – sealing third place with a wild 6-4 win over France in Miami to deliver England’s best global finish since 1966 – the Football Association had already delivered their ultimate verdict. In February, the FA handed Tuchel a comprehensive contract extension through to Euro 2028 on home soil. It was a decisive, visionary statement of faith that stripped away any notion of him being a temporary stopgap.
If the Nations League window was designed as an audit of that faith, it served as complete, indisputable vindication.
When the international block opened with a frustrating 3-2 defeat to European and world champions Spain at Wembley, the old doom-mongers immediately sharpened their knives. Yet instead of allowing a post-World Cup slump to take root, Tuchel’s side turned the setback into a masterclass in tactical mid-course correction.
At the heart of this resurgence sits Harry Kane’s insatiable appetite for goals. The England captain equalled Peter Shilton’s all-time men’s appearance record with his 125th cap against Czechia at Wembley, celebrating the milestone in typical, ruthless fashion by bagging a brace to bring his international tally to 91 goals.
With 13 goals in 2026 alone – the second-highest single-year haul in Three Lions history – Kane continues to prove that under Tuchel, his lethal efficiency in front of goal remains unmatched in world football.
Simultaneously, Jude Bellingham has blossomed into a complete, world-class engine under the former Chelsea boss. Granted total creative freedom in Tuchel’s central blueprint, England’s World Cup standout produced another career-defining performance in Rijeka – scoring once and providing three assists in a single match as England demolished Croatia 7-0.
Rather than restricting Bellingham’s natural instinct, Tuchel has harnessed his versatility, moulding him into an indispensable global superstar who dictates international matches at will.
Across those three fixtures after the Spain defeat, England scored 12 goals, conceded zero, and proved that their game is governed by a flexible system rather than reliance on individual brilliance.
In the process, Tuchel became the fastest England manager to reach 20 wins, in just his 26th match.
Crucially, he also built an iron-clad operational bubble around St George’s Park, insulating his squad from the external chaos consuming domestic club football. While Manchester City executives spend their mornings inside courtroom chambers filing deadline-day appeals and branding independent rulings a “conspiracy theory”, City’s English contingent – led by £116m marquee signing Elliot Anderson, defender Marc Guéhi, and late call-up Rico Lewis – operated free of distraction.
Anderson and Guéhi both started the 3-0 Wembley win, with Anderson dictating the midfield tempo and Guéhi ensuring Jordan Pickford didn’t face a single shot on target. Lewis also slotted seamlessly into the tactical setup without showing a shred of psychological baggage from his parent club’s woes.
The “foreign manager” debate and the lingering doubts about his suitability now look utterly prehistoric. The numbers don’t lie. With his contract locked down through 2028, Thomas Tuchel has built a high-pressing, iron-clad machine led by an unstoppable Kane and an empowered Bellingham, the menace of Bukayo Saka, and the steel of Declan Rice, to mention but a few of the stalwarts, who have been bolstered by a crop of exciting rising stars.
If they continue on their current trajectory, 2028 could yet be a happy homecoming after decades of false dawns.
