England’s opening World Cup match – a 4-2 victory over Croatia – was an intense 90 minutes that marked a clear departure from the measured approach fans had become used to under Gareth Southgate. The difference was not just in the scoreline but in the philosophy behind it.
Southgate, who led England to the European Championship final in both 2021 and 2024, took a player-first approach: pick the best individuals and build a system around them. That meant Phil Foden on the left wing, Cole Palmer in attacking midfield and Trent Alexander-Arnold in holding midfield at times during Euro 2024. But Thomas Tuchel, named England manager in October 2024 and in charge since January 2025, operates differently. He left all three out of his World Cup squad entirely, opting instead for Morgan Rogers – a player more suited to what Tuchel wants from his number 10.
“Tuchel's system-first approach, leaving out stars like Foden and Palmer, has revitalised England after a 4-2 win over Croatia.”
Tuchel’s system-first approach means each player’s role is clear. Southgate instead encouraged individuals to read the game as it happened, relying on moments of magic: Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick against Slovakia or Cole Palmer’s long-range finish against Spain. Against Croatia, Bellingham still scored an individually brilliant goal, but it came from a well-worked attacking routine England have developed over Tuchel’s reign – a move that, in theory, works just as well with Rogers in the same role.
Ahead of England’s second group match against Ghana in Boston, Tuchel appears to have made up his mind on the big calls. He is expected to name an unchanged starting XI after the second-half improvement against Croatia. Bukayo Saka trained fully on Sunday but Tuchel has hinted the Arsenal winger may not start until the third game against Panama to manage his Achilles issue. Marc Guehi has been pushing for a start, but Tuchel is likely to stick with the centre-half pairing of Ezri Konsa and John Stones. Marcus Rashford complained of a hamstring issue after the Croatia match, meaning Anthony Gordon is likely to keep his place on the left wing.
The real transformation, though, may have come from Tuchel’s half-time team talk in the opener. England struggled defensively before the break, but an inspired talk produced arguably one of their most impressive displays at a major tournament. “I said even if we lose, it will not change my perception of the last 17 days,” Tuchel revealed. “But let’s do it our way. We’re too focused on the result, too focused on protecting what we anyway don’t have at the moment. The second goal was just an example. I think we were a back seven and we didn’t defend the goal. So why be a back seven anyway? If something happens, the result doesn’t go our way, we want to play this match the way we want to and the way we were together for 17 days. I just tried to encourage them to go for it.”
After Ghana, England face Panama in New Jersey. Should they go through as group winners, they will take on a third-placed team in Atlanta. If they finish runners-up, they travel to Toronto to face the runners-up of Group K.