When Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 the success was built on unflinching defensive rigour and midfield discipline. Five years on, though, Tuchel’s England displayed neither of those qualities during a dreadful first half in Dallas. They kept losing the ball in dangerous areas, struggled to maintain their shape without the ball and were rocking when Croatia stung them with a second equaliser just before half-time.
The vibe could hardly have been less convincing. Anthony Barry, Tuchel’s No 2, let rip in an interview with ITV, accusing England of doing all the wrong things, of playing with “a nervous energy”, of making everything “confused and complicated” against opponents well versed in making their craft and experience in midfield count.
Of course, England got away with it in the end, the response in the second half astonishing, Barry’s words no doubt delivered in even stronger terms by Tuchel in the dressing room. Yet while they won their opening game in Group L thanks to a moment of breathtaking power from Jude Bellingham and a late breakaway goal from Marcus Rashford, the overall display was far from good enough.
The attack spluttered in open play during those first 45 minutes and the press malfunctioned. The spaces between Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice in midfield were too big and although it was better after the break, the main takeaway is that England have no chance of winning the World Cup if they defend this badly in a potential quarter-final against Brazil.
It has been easy to fall into the trap of dwelling on the big forwards during the tournament’s opening week. After blistering bursts from Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, the stage was set for Harry Kane to step up on Wednesday. Inevitably he delivered, scoring twice, first with a retaken penalty and then with a header from a corner. Even so England’s set-piece prowess could not detract from the structural flaws, for it was Croatia who played the silkier football during the first half and capitalised on poor defending to score two exceptional goals from open play.
The jitters at the back had set in early, England’s attempt to pass their way out ending with Nico O’Reilly and John Stones conceding a corner on the right. They were thrown by Croatia’s pressing and took a while to respond. There were constant turnovers of possession, exposing the back four, and it was from a ball lost by Bellingham in midfield that Martin Baturina was able to hammer in Croatia’s first goal.
The concern for Tuchel is that tournaments are rarely won without a solid defence. England can go blow for blow against some sides, but would they get away it against the very best? It feels unlikely on this evidence, meaning Tuchel’s biggest focus before facing Ghana next week has to be on tightening up at the back. Do not be fooled by the result: England were lucky. There was a stunning surge after Bellingham made it 3-2, Dominik Livakovic forced into a series of saves, but Croatia had chances to score another before Rashford killed them off.
In fairness, Croatia have some dangerous forwards and are an excellent tournament team. Beating them is no mean feat and it goes without saying that Tuchel is too smart to look past the defensive frailties. They will also hope that some of the problems in midfield were down to Rice, who joined up with the squad late after the Champions League, tiring before going off midway through the second half. Yet building up Rice’s fitness will be easier than justifying Tuchel’s faith in Stones. The former Manchester City defender barely played last season, was rusty on and off the ball during his 87 minutes on the pitch and was turned too easily by Petar Sucic before the midfielder teed up Baturina to whip a shot past Jordan Pickford from 20 yards.
This is not a vintage England defence. O’Reilly made his debut at this level and was targeted at left-back. Reece James had issues on the other side and Ezri Konsa wobbled next to Stones. Croatia’s second goal, made by Ivan Perisic and swept in by Petar Musa, found James and Konsa positionally wanting.
No doubt Harry Maguire will have something to say on his next podcast appearance. In terms of the options available to Tuchel, though, it might be wise to bring Marc Guéhi in for Stones against Ghana. These lapses are not surprising. Stones has been an incredible servant for England but his minutes have to be managed and he was turned inside out by Ollie Watkins when City lost to Aston Villa last month.
A win’s a win, then? Not quite. The format means England are all but guaranteed a place in the last 32 now but Messi, Mbappé and Haaland will be licking their lips when they look at Tuchel’s defence.