The Steps Thomas Tuchel Must Take to Get England Firing Again

The Steps Thomas Tuchel Must Take to Get England Firing Again

The Thomas Tuchel era has got off to a stuttering start. Despite the early wins, the performances have underwhelmed since the German took over from Gareth Southgate earlier this year.

Now, with the World Cup just around the corner, and the English fans more expectant than ever, we assess what Tuchel needs to do to get the Three Lions roaring once more.

Halting The Poor Form

Three wins in his first four games sounds good on the surface, but England are expected to coast through their pre-tournament games. Even in victory, the side has looked devoid of ideas and lethargic, and the culmination of this was the embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Senegal in June.

Less than a year out from the biggest tournament of them all, this is not how fans were hoping the side would look in the post-Southgate era.

It was expected that Tuchel, with his excellent managerial CV, would bring a new lease of life to a squad that had clearly plateaued. As it is early days in his tenure, many are hoping that it has just taken time to get across his principles and playing style to the squad.

The Three Lions now head into the first international break of the new season looking to hit back at their critics with an exciting brand of football. First up, England face Andorra at Wembley, which should be an opportunity for the squad to showcase their attacking prowess. Then, Tuchel's side heads to Serbia, where an undeniably intense atmosphere awaits, giving the side a chance to show their ability under pressure.

BREAKING: Thomas Tuchel names his England squad for September's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/5yAEuxqXPm

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 29, 2025

Create An Identity

It is common knowledge that Tuchel alternates between a back three and a back four; however, fans are crying out for consistency. Their demands are simple: utilise the wealth of attacking options in the squad and play entertaining football.

One of the main criticisms of the first games was that the players appeared overly cautious, and the defensive lineups reflected this. It is understandable to exercise caution against the top nations, but the build-up games should be used to instil confidence in the players and fans alike.

We know that Tuchel is a serial winner, so to question his methodology is a risky game. Fans want to get behind their country no matter the game; however, more and more are refusing to watch the non-tournament fixtures, as they feel more like a chore.

History is made 👏

Senegal become the first African national team to defeat the England men’s national team 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/p1e3CQVIzr

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 10, 2025

Team Bonding

One of Southgate's greatest qualities as England manager was the way that he was able to unify, not only the squad, but also the nation. The whole country was watching the players float around swimming pools on unicorn inflatables, making us feel like a 60 million-strong squad.

It may sound trivial, but Tuchel would do well to replicate this team cohesion off the pitch, as Southgate showed, as it will often benefit the squad on the pitch.

•Wore a waistcoat at 2018 World Cup
•Got Saka swimming with an inflatable Unicorn
•Got lads playing table tennis tournaments in the camp at euro 2020
•Got John Stones to defend his postcode being Barnsley and not Sheffield in a head to head against Kyle Walker.

Sir Gareth🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://t.co/PCK6fsFi8k

— CR (@Charlie_Robb96) December 31, 2024

Utilising World Class Talent

This isn't an issue exclusive to England; however, the England squad is littered with talent that is not being utilised to its full potential.

International managers only get a finite amount of time with their players, so building an identity and working with the squad has to be crammed into international breaks. It must be said, though, that these are world-class players, so their club and international performances should not be as far apart as they currently are.

Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Cole Palmer - these players would start in any side in Europe, so why can't they play together?

Harry Kane first 100 matches for Bayern:

116 G/A
91 Goals
25 Assists pic.twitter.com/iykC0ucQRW

— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) August 30, 2025

Summary

The players mentioned above are not getting any younger. England cannot afford a slow rebuild. Harry Kane may only have one or two tournaments left. England's record scorer deserves to have international silverware to his name.

Tuchel will be hoping to get the fans on side with these upcoming qualifiers. Good performances will create excitement, and the Three Lions could enter next year's tournament feeling confident about their ability to beat anyone.

They certainly have the squad; the question remains, can Tuchel be the missing piece to get England over the line for the first time since 1966?