Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 28
Miami
When Thomas Tuchel was appointed England head coach it was generally accepted that the time to judge him properly was not until the knockout stages of the World Cup. Qualification would be a breeze. Ditto the group stage. The round of 32 against Ghana was challenging, the round of 16 against Mexico even more so. Given the playing quality that England have, most people’s pre-tournament expectation was that quarter-final was the very minimum. The cut.
Now is the time for Tuchel to really be judged. Tonight’s game with Norway is where he can be fully appraised. He has to juggle potential absentees to build a strong defence. He has to devise a game-plan to close down the room Martin Odegaard’s room to manoeuvre. He has to block off the supply-lines through the middle and from out wide to Erling Haaland. He has to respond in games to fluctuating fortunes with tweaks to tactics or well-chosen introductions from the bench.
Tuchel has to use the tactical time-outs in the hydration breaks to reinvigorate players or remind them of the game-plan. He has to set the right tone and mood with his talk in the dressing-room before kick-off, at half-time and perhaps before the start of extra-time. He has to ensure the players already pre-selected on the list of penalty-takers are ready psychologically for the daunting challenge, the lonely walk from the half-way line, and the few potentially life-changing seconds in the piercing spotlight.
Tuchel has the charisma, experience and intelligence to achieve all of the above that are required in the heat of Miami. The players are engaged emotionally with him and his staff. They listen. They like his positivity. They’ve already seen his impact. The way he responded to England going down to ten men in the Azteca was a masterclass in crisis response: from Declan Rice at right-back to bolstering the defence and changing the system with Djed Spence, Big Dan Burn and John Stones coming on, all of them immediately in tune with demands, to Morgan Rogers arriving to bring energy to midfield and attack. Tuchel imposed himself on the game, stopping the tide turning Mexico’s way.
As Bukayo Saka says of their time under Tuchel, and the 15 wins and two draws in 19 games, “It’s been amazing. He’s been really good for us on this journey and you’ve seen from the qualification to now the results that we have. They speak for themselves. This World Cup we are still unbeaten and we’re just getting better and better.” Norway is a huge test. But Tuchel to pass it. 2-1 England.
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Does Unai Simon get enough praise? Is it because Spain’s goalkeeper is not at the most fashionable of teams, Athletic Club? Is it because much of the focus on Spain is on Lamine Yamal and other creators? Is it because Simon wasn’t even in the top 10 of keepers listed in the Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy for 2025. Yet Simon has just set a record for longest World Cup run without conceding a goal – 609 minutes. Simon plays the record down, saying he’s faced only seven or eight efforts on target in that time.
For one very simple reason, Simon must be good: the best keeper in the Premier League, David Raya, is kept on Spain’s bench. That level of competition must keep Simon on his toes but also reflect what a special keeper Spain’s No.1 is.
England’s experience in hot and humid conditions here, including at altitude, will be turned into a report and used to assist Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses when they head to Brazil for the Women’s World Cup next summer.
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Plenty of innovations at the World Cup will gladly be left this side of the Atlantic when the show ends. Others worth considering? More extensive use of ref-cam would be good in the Premier League. Broadcasters’ siting of an extra studio outside the stadium has been a success in the World Cup; especially for the USMNT games it gave a vibrant backdrop. In the Premier League there would unfortunately always be the risk of some choice language or controversial sign being brandished. Half-time insight from assistant coaches are worth assessing more.
Catch up on the rest of Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary here
