Win or bust! Tuchel's plan to rule the world

Only one thing matters to the new England boss — getting his hands on the biggest trophy of all

- DAN KILPATRICK

Thomas Tuchel used his first meeting with his first England squad on Monday evening to hammer home the point. Every minute, Tuchel told his players in a meeting room at the St George's Park Hilton, of the 24 days they would spend together between now and next summer should be put towards winning the 2026 World Cup. Adding "a second star to the shirt", he said, should be the obsession of everyone connected to the national team and England's new head coach urged his players to be "absolutely open" about the ambition. He made no mention of tactics, and emphasised the importance of his players forming a "brotherhood", who must remain united through tough moments but always speak their mind on difficult topics within the group.

The 51-year-old spoke about his conversations with World Cup-winners, who had emphasised the importance of togetherness, and pointed out that most successful NBA sides in history were those who high-fived and hugged the most; he encouraged his players to be similarly tactile.

It was a stirring address, that left many of the squad impressed, particularly those who were meeting Tuchel in person for the first time. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who has worked under Pep Guardiola, Unai Emery and Tuchel's predecessor Gareth Southgate, had never before experienced the same "aura" in a manager. "[His] presence is a bit different," Rogers told reporters.

Unlike Southgate, however, Tuchel will not win any plaudits for creating a harmonious squad or even for transforming England's playing style, starting with the games against Albania and Latvia on Friday and Monday.

The German was named as the third foreign coach in England's history with the mandate of conquering the world in Canada, the USA and Mexico next summer. Anything else would be deemed a failure and, in all likelihood, see Tuchel return to club football at the end of his 18-month contract with the FA.