Race Against Time Now Tuchel Knows Size Of His Challenge

Analysis: England's new head coach must find a way to focus Jude Bellingham and bring aggressive Premier League style to international stage, writes Jacob Steinberg

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Tuchel is still learning, but the clock is ticking. Thomas Tuchel does not have time on his side after opting not to oversee England's Nations League games in November. He has looked to hit the ground running, just as he did when he won the Champions League four months after joining Chelsea, but building rhythm in international football is not easy. The players are not around for long and some games drift into irrelevance. Tuchel has started with two straightforward wins, but neither set the pulse racing. The awkward reality is qualification lacks jeopardy these days.

England were under no threat of losing against Albania and Latvia, so all eyes were on the quality of their performances. Tuchel, having delivered a searing critique of the team's displays under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, was after identity, intensity and excitement. He has talked about imposing an aggressive Premier League style. The issue is that doing so is challenging against opponents who arrive at Wembley focused on damage limitation. It was pass, pass, pass from England, but both games were pretty turgid. Tuchel will see room for improvement.