Tuchel Sees Room for Improvement After First Win

England is not yet guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage following the victory over Croatia. But a 4-2 win against the team led by captain Luka Modric is already a big step in the right direction. As a result, Thomas Tuchel’s team is the heavy favorite against Ghana and Panama—their two remaining group opponents.

Criticism Over Squad Selection

With this victory, Coach Tuchel not only avenged England’s 2018 World Cup semifinal loss to Croatia but also demonstrated for the first time that he made the right decisions in selecting his roster.

The German, who is on the sidelines for England at a major tournament for the first time, left out big names like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer—so as not to disrupt the team dynamic that had ensured success in the World Cup qualifiers last fall.

The players who weren’t selected hadn’t done anything wrong. “It was clear that some big names would have to stay home,” Tuchel said of his selection. Nevertheless, he faced public criticism for leaving precisely those players behind.

“We felt like we had something to lose”

There likely won’t be much criticism after the first World Cup group stage match. If there is, however, it will be directed at the first half of the game. “We struggled,” Tuchel summed up in a TV interview immediately after the match. “After we scored, we were too passive. We immediately felt like we had something to lose. They punished us for that twice,” said the 52-year-old. But the team’s response was “brilliant.”

“It’s always about the reaction. Mistakes happen, but the reaction was excellent,” Tuchel said. The team was able to secure its first win—which was “what we wanted.”

England will have another chance for success next Tuesday evening. In the match against Ghana, Tuchel’s team will be even stronger favorites. While England is ranked 4th in the FIFA World Rankings, Ghana is in 73rd place, and Croatia is in 11th place.