Thomas Tuchel has two years to regain the trust of England's fans - and players - as Three Lions begin new cycle

England made it to back-to-back Euros finals under Tuchel's predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, losing to Spain in the 2024 showpiece after going down on penalties to Italy three years previously. Tuchel expressed his belief that England "were playing not to lose" at the 2024 tournament, and were "more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the hunger and excitement to win it".

Those comments have aged like milk given Tuchel was responsible for one of the most cowardly performances in England's entire history, worse than any that came on Southgate's watch, as Argentina battled back from a goal down in Atlanta on July 15.

The Three Lions edged the first 55 minutes of the game before taking the lead through Anthony Gordon. Another final meeting with Spain would have been on the cards had they gone for jugular from there, because a well past-its-peak Argentina team was there for the taking.

Instead, though, they went into retreat, and Tuchel reacted by bringing on Ezri Konsa for Gordon and switching to a back five. To the surprise of no one, Argentina pushed even more men forward and England couldn't get out, barely stringing two passes together in the final 20 minutes of the contest. Lionel Messi took centre stage, first setting up Enzo Fernandez to sweep home the equaliser before standing up the cross for Lautaro Martinez to head the winner in stoppage time.

Tuchel went against the ideals he'd vowed to stick to when taking the job and showed that he didn't fully believe in his players. Yes, some of them were clearly crippled by fear as the weight of the occasion took hold, but that's when he should have been on hand to lift their heads and bring back the "hunger" for victory. It's unforgivable that Tuchel just fuelled the sense of doubt running through the team; this was his moment to prove his elite credentials, and he completely blew it.

An immediate apology or resignation announcement would have been the only two antidotes after such a shocking collapse. But Tuchel just passed the buck, claiming the "DNA" of English football has to change for his side to start winning the biggest trophies.

"We got too passive within our structure. I tried to help, not to become more passive with a back five, but to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, not to open up the gaps between the back four," he added. "We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active within the structure, but we just struggled. We couldn't find any duels any more which was why we dropped deeper and deeper, which was never the plan, but it happened.

"We needed to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back. I think ball possession plays a crucial role. It's maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem."

That all came from a man who neglected to bring on Ivan Toney or Marcus Rashford until the fifth minute of stoppage time, when England were frantically chasing the game. Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, was deemed too unfit to play a single minute from the bench, only to score a hat-trick in the third-place play-off against France three days later, and complete the entire game.

England were passive because Tuchel opted for Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly as his first three substitutes. They were not changes designed to bridge the possession gap that opened up between the sides, but rather to hopefully protect the slender advantage. The DNA excuse doesn't fly either, because any top coach should be able to implement patterns of play with a crop of world-class talent; Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson were all on the pitch together for 82 minutes.

Despite the benefit of a two-month reflection period, Tuchel doubled down on his remarks last week, and seemed to suggest he's fighting a losing battle. "I’m not sure that I have the time to coach them to (keep the ball)," he said. "I’m just wrestling with this myself because even if a team control matches in the Premier League, how many English players are there in these teams?

"Is this in our DNA? Do we really value control? Is this something that makes us feel good in a match? Is this something that comes easy to us? I think deep down in the core, English players – and it’s a beautiful thing – and the spectators want to go for it. Let’s go. Let’s play for 6-3, let’s play for 4-3. Let’s not play 1-0.

"Now that I have a tournament as an experience, I feel that this team is ready to fight, is always ready to go. This is the beauty of it. That come the high-pressure moments where we can play better football, where we maybe lack even a little bit of courage or this energy… Maybe it’s more going down that route."

Never has a team played for a 1-0 more blindly than England did against Argentina, and the "lack of courage" was transmitted by Tuchel first and foremost, but there was no underlying irony in the German's voice. Remarkably, he also seems to be under the impression that the public has already moved on.

"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of the fans don't talk about substitutions, tactical tweaks or tactical details," Tuchel continued. "They speak about how nerve-racking it was to watch our match against Congo and where they celebrated. This is the feedback I get. This is what we created, and how it should be. This is what a World Cup is for: to connect with people and give them experiences they do not forget.

"It makes me proud, it makes me happy. Even if it's just in a cab, at a coffee shop or in the supermarket, you share these little moments and understand that it actually meant something."

All of that can be categorised as complete delusion. The only thing that England fans will remember vividly from the 2026 World Cup is how Tuchel allowed Argentina to bully their heroes into submission. Because of Tuchel, the biggest opportunity to finally win the World Cup for a second time went begging, and there may never be a better one.

Tuchel may not enjoy the full backing of England's large contingent of star names anymore, either. His tactical choices against Argentina left several players baffled, and it would be understandable if some who didn't even make it onto the plane held some bitterness towards the coach.

Cole Palmer definitely has grounds to feel disgruntled. The Chelsea man didn't have a great 2025-26 season, but he's always a potential game-changer, and Tuchel didn't have enough of them on his bench in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

After a lengthy summer break, Palmer has started the new campaign strongly, registering four goal contributions in five Premier League appearances for Chelsea, which was enough to persuade Tuchel to bring him back into the fold. But the call-up came with a warning, too.

"It's one thing to be nominated and getting back in the squad and to perform," Tuchel said. "Cole needs to show these kinds of numbers and performances to get his shirt and justify the nomination."

Tuchel could have chosen his words more carefully. Jordan Henderson landed a World Cup spot despite being way past his best at 36, while it could also be argued that Palmer was more deserving of one than Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Toney. Yes, taking a third No.10 alongside Bellingham and Rogers would have been a risk, but England's attack would have looked more formidable with Palmer in it.

Palmer has been forced to withdraw from the latest squad with a minor muscle issue, and was initially excited about getting back into the England camp. Tuchel's public challenge could easily have elicited negative feelings, though, because Palmer had absolutely justified the nomination.

Tuchel's handling of Palmer is a concern because he's one of the most gifted footballers England have. In an ideal world, he will be a key figure at the next Euros, but has only played three games for his country since Tuchel's arrival. Recurring fitness issues have hampered Palmer, and it's certainly on him to prove his durability, but Tuchel should also be there to provide guidance and encouragement.

Tuchel's immediate focus is the Nations League, with England now back in the competition's top tier and preparing to kick-off their campaign against world and European champions Spain at Wembley. The Three Lions will then travel to Czechia and Croatia, before facing Czechia again at Wembley to wrap up what will be a mammoth international break.

Palmer is not the only man to have pulled out of the squad, though, as Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Rashford and Tino Livramento have also withdrawn due to injury. No specific details have been released, but it seems that clubs are being extra cautious about protecting their prized assets at this early stage of the season, which is not ideal for Tuchel.

He has reacted by bringing in Everton's James Garner to cover for the absence of Rice and Mainoo in midfield, along with Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White, who Tuchel initially overlooked again because he felt adding another No.10 to the mix alongside Bellingham, Rogers and Eze "does not help anyone". What he has seemingly failed to realise is that Gibbs-White has the versatility to play as a false nine, on both flanks or in a deeper role, too.

It was a mistake to leave Gibbs-White out of the World Cup squad, and although he will now hope to push Palmer out of Tuchel's thinking - at least for a while - the manager is still missing a trick by pigeon-holing the 26-year-old. He can count himself lucky that Gibbs-White cut short a holiday in Dubai with his partner to join the latest camp instead of putting the phone down on him.

Tuchel would be wise to make England selection more of a meritocracy going forward. Henderson wasn't available for selection this time around due to a knock, but the fact he was even under consideration at all is worrying. Rashford, meanwhile, shouldn't have been anywherenearthis squad, with Michael Carrick already paying the price for reintegrating the wildly erratic winger at Manchester United.

The only big calls he did get right were the omissions of Phil Foden and Harry Maguire. The former is still struggling to rediscover his best form at Man City, and the latter has been part of a United defence that has shipped eight goals in five Premier League games. Maintaining a hard stance on two players who were favourites of Southgate is a positive, but Tuchel has to be more consistent with his thinking across the pitch.

Trent Alexander-Arnold sits next to Palmer and Gibbs-White as an underappreciated asset. His exceptional passing range could have been invaluable to England at the World Cup, potentially providing the composure and technical quality that Tuchel felt his team lacked against Argentina.

The Real Madrid man is simply too good to miss out on any further major tournaments, though he is another who was recalled on a conditional basis. "[He needs to] perform, that's just what it is. It is a competition and we trusted other players [at the World Cup]. I still stick with this decision and it is now time to fight for his place," Tuchel said. "He always said he is up for a fight, he always said he is up to fight for his place - especially for England - so it is on him to prove and he is more than welcome in camp. We have a long camp and I am sure he will show up."

Three defenders who did star at the World Cup, Reece James, Djed Spence and John Stones, are all absent with fitness issues. It's entirely possible that Tuchel would have snubbed Alexander-Arnold again had that not been the case, as he stuck with O'Reilly, Jarrell Quansah and, initially, Livramento as his other main full-backs.

England's backline often looked fragile in North America, and there is no obvious successor for Stones as he nears the twilight years of his career. Jarrad Branthwaite has done well to catch Tuchel's eye with a decent start to the season at Everton, but there will be a lot of pressure on him to strike up an instant rapport with Marc Guehi in the centre.

Tuchel must also be worried about the state of the attack behind Kane. Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be first off the bench this time around, but Ollie Watkins could be out of the picture for good after deciding to join Toney in Saudi Arabia. Kane should still be physically ready to lead the line at the age of 34 when the next Euros kick-off, but it will be a lot to ask for him to play every single minute.

Tuchel may have to fast-track 17-year-old Aston Villa striker Brian Madjo to give Kane more support. To his credit, the former Chelsea boss is already giving several youngsters a chance, with Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha and Bournemouth's Alex Scott both in line to make an impact over the next three weeks.

Arsenal's 19-year-old sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly is set to add to his haul of six senior England caps, while Newcastle's Lewis Hall will be eyeing his fifth. If Max Dowman continues on his current trajectory at Arsenal, he will surely also be in the picture soon. Tuchel can win over a lot of his doubters by making these youngsters staples of the next two-year cycle, but they need proper coaching.

England have the strength in depth needed to get to the same footballing level as Spain. Any stubborn views to the contrary that Tuchel still holds have to be dropped, or history will repeat itself at the Euros, and his tenure will be remembered as the same waste of time and resources as Capello's was.