Talk about England under Tuchel s rule: Abandoning stars is not ruthless, how to arrange Bellingham is a challenge

In October last year, the Football Association announced that Tuchel would become the new head coach of England, becoming the first German head coach in team history. The Athletic recently published an article reviewing the six key issues Tuchel faced in England at that time.

1. How to win the World Cup within 18 months of taking over the team?

Tuchel's challenge lies in time. He did not officially take over as England coach until January 1 this year. He signed an 18-month contract that only lasts until the World Cup next summer. This means that there will only be six national team training sessions before the World Cup and a maximum of 60 days of contact with the players. Deducting travel and game time, Tuchel and his team only have about 24 days at the training ground to instill their football philosophy into the players. Time is running out and Tuchel has made it clear from the start that his aim is for England to lift the World Cup in New Jersey on July 19.

Currently, Tuchel has entered the fourth of six training camps. He has played six games in England and will play another six games before flying to the United States. Although it feels like he has only just taken over, time is running out, with the World Cup quickly approaching. When Tuchel took over, he promised a "crash course" in the style of football he wanted. But in reality, he had to slow down and some players began to feel overloaded with information, especially those from teams with completely different styles of play. Therefore, after the first two training camps, Tuchel changed his strategy to protect players by reducing the amount of information. Tuchel understands that he cannot revolutionize everything in such a short period of time and needs to find an approach that works for everyone.

2. How to change the team’s playing style?

When Tuchel took office, he boldly stated that he would completely change the team's playing style, hoping to show a more physical, faster and more aggressive style, close to the way Premier League players are used to playing. Former manager Southgate attempted a steady, methodical and predictable style of play to remain competitive in the big games, although it rarely really ignited the crowds. Tuchel's performance in the first few games shows that it is not easy to implement the style he wants in the national team competition. The first two games - home wins against Albania and Latvia - went well but did not show much difference from the Southgate era.

In June, England struggled to defeat Andorra 1-0, and then lost 1-3 to Senegal, which made people feel that England seemed to be regressing. In September, Tuchel restarted his tactical experiment, providing simpler and clearer guidance to players and emphasizing the key links, namely deep organization when in possession, central blockade when defending and pressure in the opponent's half. However, last month's 5-0 away win over Serbia seemed to indicate that Tuchel's philosophy was finally starting to be accepted by the players. This is also the first time in the six games he has coached that England has shown a positive and unified team style and has begun to have a distinctive style, but facing deep defense and hot weather games next summer will be another matter.

3. How to improve team morale?

Tuchel once criticized England's performance in the 2024 European Cup, not limited to their chaotic performance on the field. He also keenly pointed out that the atmosphere in the team's training camp last summer was not good and they were under "tension and pressure" during the game, saying that they were more afraid of failure than eager to win. Tuchel will try to change that during his short tenure. In the England lineup for last year's European Cup, Sterling, Rashford, Henderson, Maguire, Grealish and others were all missing from the list, and more of them were young players who had not experienced major competitions.

When reviewing the European Cup in March this year, Kane clearly pointed out that the England team in last year's European Cup lacked some leadership, specifically mentioning the importance of players like Henderson in difficult moments. So it is perhaps no surprise that Tuchel recalled Henderson. The midfielder is a natural leader, his opinions are fully respected within the team, and when he asks his teammates, everyone will comply. After expressing dissatisfaction with the team's training performance in June, the training situation in September improved greatly.

4. Is the team built around big-name stars?

A common question in international football: Should teams be built around big-name stars? England struggles more than most countries in this regard, and fans of England who have experienced the double-German era know this very well. In the early days of Southgate's tenure, the team seemed to have escaped this dilemma and found a more balanced lineup without stars. However, in Southgate's fourth major competition, the 2024 European Cup, he returned to his old ways. Southgate's attempts to include Foden and Bellingham in the lineup at the same time, and even moved Trent Alexander-Arnold to midfield, showed that he has stopped trying to create a balanced squad.

Tuchel is working hard to adjust the direction of England. Of course, he also hopes that England's best and most famous players can participate, but it must be done on his terms. He will not show mercy when it comes to discarding players. Trent Alexander-Arnold was England's long-term right-back choice but made just one substitute appearance under Tuchel, against Andorra. Tuchel even publicly stated that Alexander-Arnold "must take defense very, very seriously". The player was not selected for the training list in September and is now absent due to a hamstring injury. Foden struggled in Tuchel's first two games in charge and has not featured for England since, although he has returned to form at Manchester City. As one of the most outstanding English players in the Premier League in recent years, Palmer only played once under Tuchel and missed training sessions due to injuries many times.

5. How to make good use of Bellingham?

Although Bellingham is only 22 years old, he has already represented England in three major competitions. However, both Southgate and Tuchel are faced with how to integrate Bellingham into the team's already well-functioning system. This is not an easy task.. Bellingham is good at dominating key moments and sudden bursts, rather than controlling the rhythm of the game. His discipline is not as strong as some of his teammates. If he is to perform well in England, he may need to be used as an attacking midfielder, which means that he must replace Morgan Rogers.

Bellingham has an emotional maturity beyond his years, but in addition to having a particularly close friendship with Alexander-Arnold and Henderson, he seems somewhat alienated from other England teammates, and is well known for his unwillingness to participate in media activities. When he is not in the lineup, how to integrate strengths, play to strengths, and overcome weaknesses will always be one of Tuchel's biggest challenges.

6. How to stick to principles?

The 5-0 away victory over Serbia last month proved not only to the players, but also to the outside world that Tuchel is on the right path. The win allowed him to make the bravest and most important decision of his tenure so far: to keep as many of the September squad as possible for the October internationals, with the only changes being that Saka replaced the injured Madueke, with Bellingham and Foden not returning directly to the squad. In this moment, Tuchel emphasized that his standards and expectations will be the most important factors in deciding who is called up and who plays. There is still plenty of time for England's biggest stars to feature in November or next March or even next summer's World Cup, but if they are to get a chance they will have to meet Tuchel's requirements and not just because of their name recognition.