Tuchel left with big calls to make after Carsley refresh

No pressure, Thomas. Lee Carsley hands over to Thomas Tuchel promising to give England’s next manager a comprehensive debrief on the three autumn camps but perhaps also elevating expectations. Not so much with the results – promotion in the Nations League was anticipated for a team ranked fourth in the world and who reached the final of Euro 2024 – as with his assessment of England’s prospects for the time covered by Tuchel’s 18-month deal.

- RICHARD JOLLY

Carsley’s prediction should carry more weight than most. Can England win the World Cup in 2026? “I think we are in a good position to do that,” he said. It is a comment that may be remembered if Tuchel does not triumph in North America. Alternatively, however, Carsley was just being realistic. There are around eight genuine contenders for every World Cup. England’s record across their last four major tournaments and their pool of players suggests they belong in that category.

“I think we have the talent to do it,” Carsley added. “I have been lucky now to be at the last couple of World Cups and the timing of the players being in form, physically and mentally, at the right time, picking the right squad. We have got all of the tools. We just need to play them in the order.”

This touched on some of the pivotal factors. England stumbled as much as surged to the third final in their history in 2024, with some of their premier players semi-fit and partly out of form. They felt more like a moments team than a coherent, functioning unit, rescued at times by the ability of individuals or, in contrast to some earlier tournaments, by Gareth Southgate’s capacity to make telling substitutions.

If it illustrates that part of the test for Tuchel, with his razor-sharp intelligence and tactical precision, will be to adjust his plans mid-match, another lies in the bigger calls.