Day of the Tuchel: forget the England culture stuff, this is a one-hit mission

Head coach is being asked by the FA to do the opposite of previous England coaches before the World Cup

- Barney Ronay

Over what range will you fire? Probably not more than 400ft. Will the gentleman be moving? Stationary. What about the chances of a second shot? I might get the chance. But I doubt it.

Ten months before the epic landscapes of World Cup USA 2026, the Day of the Jackal seems a pretty good cinematic model for the mission Thomas Tuchel is facing. As England trundle through the familiar autumn rhythms of a tournament preamble, it is probably time for some real talk about the sui generis one-shot task the Football Association has devised for its head coach.

It is of course still necessary to take a view on Andorra at home and the more urgent test of Serbia away tomorrow night, because they are happening now, because this is content and the football brain demands its chemical hit. But Andorra was dull. Senegal at home and Andorra away were poor. We know how this works, the background throb of social media, radio chat, England angst channelled reflexively into dark talk about progress, signs, culture, finding your best team.

At which point it is also necessary to take a step back from these well-grooved anxieties, because the task at hand is also very different this time. First because the goal set for Tuchel - win the World Cup or die - is both absurd and bracingly aspirational. England have a good team. Reaching a final is possible, because finals have been reached before. Why not try something different now, crank the lever to 11, apply a little wild short-term pressure?

But it is also important to accept that this changes what needs to happen now. We can already say with some clarity the success or failure of the Tuchel project is likely to be defined by a single passage of football, half an hour in New Jersey or San Francisco next summer. The mission is agreeably stark: can you beat Spain, France or similar in a knockout game? Can you find that moment, the mid-match tactical rejig, clarity under pressure?