But it’s not all bad.
The team started off successfully in the national team, but the match against Andorra disappointed.
The “Three Lions” will probably be the favorites in any group, and the situation in the 2026 World Cup group is no exception. Thomas Tukhel’s wards went to rivals Albania, Serbia, Latvia, and Andorra, and the Serbs can put up some resistance. And the first matches for the British were perfect in terms of results. The team won three out of three – they didn’t give the Albanians and Latvians a chance, and later beat Andorra. Most importantly, in these three matches, the national team never even conceded a goal (the difference between the goals was 6:0).
But that’s just the result – if we talk about the content, there are much more problems. The game against Andorra was truly dull. Yes, it can be argued that the opponent had parked the bus—and so obviously that it was hard to remember the other team (they had 17% of the time, had zero shots on target, and defended a draw). Even so, the Three Lions’ play wasn’t convincing; there wasn’t enough speed—and only Kane’s goal saved the team. The striker himself noted after the match that it wasn’t the best match for the national team. Tukhel was even more categorical:
It seemed to me that the team didn’t fully realize that the score in the World Cup qualifier was only 1:0. Gradually, the energy faded—just when it needed to be added. But we were lucky and won. I didn’t like the attitude we had at the end of the game. We lacked the gravitas needed in qualifying matches. World Cup. I think we played with fire. This was not what was required of us in such a match.
Rotation too active
First of all, it is important to note that the British held only the fourth match under the leadership of Tukhel. The German must familiarize himself with the team’s capabilities and find optimal combinations within the framework of his system, hence the active rotation. In such a situation, washed-out play is inevitable – play, mutual understanding suffers. After playing with Andorra, Tukhel moved to another program. Then they played in “4-2-3-1”, as the match with Senegal reached “4-4-2”. And the only position that has remained unchanged is the front. What, that now Harry Kane is out early. Even the goalkeeper was replaced – instead of experienced Pickford, the last line was protected by Dean Henderson.
In the center of the defense-color, and Chaloba instead of a contraban and burns, James and Jones on the flanks were replaced by Lewis-Skelli and Walker, Bellingham and Palmer were missing in the central axis-tukhel chose rice and gallah for a friendly match. Gordon and Saka instead of Madueke and Rogers, Eza was placed in a pair of Kane.
The quick aim was to harm
Despite this, Thomas Tukhel’s services had a certain advantage, and the start of the match was successful. The British covered Senegal by leaving the defense, launched their attack, Gordon faded into the distance, retorted the goalkeeper. Harry Kane arrived in time to finish before the defenders covered him. Efficiency The attack was prohibitive – and Senegal partially helped its mistakes.
In any case, the first 30 minutes of the “three lions” match were successful – they could increase the gap. But after that, something in the team went off. Shortly before the break, a throw to Jackson took place, Nicholas almost gave Sarra an automatic line – Walker lost the fight and missed the midfielder to the ball. The British continued to degenerate, while at the same time the guests tormented the defense of the “three lions” with vertical attacks. In the 62nd minute, Kulibali opened the England defense with a program, he gave the diarrr under the run from afar, he flew into the penalty without resistance and sent the ball between Henderson’s legs. After Bellingham’s goal was canceled at the end, the “Three Lions” entered into a massive offensive, and Senegal in extra time caught the opponent on the counterattack. The guests received 4-3, Kamara managed to transfer to Sabali, he hit the goalkeeper – they won a confident victory.
Such matches are needed by the British
It’s a friendly match, but it was a huge disappointment. This is what Tukhel says:
Yes, it’s a disappointing result. There was a feeling that we were inhibited, not active enough for a significant part of the time. We defended quite well for a long time in the first half, and our best segment was with a score of 1:2. We missed two very simple goals, we need to defend better.
Another fact is added to this – the England team for the first time in its history lost to the African team. Before that, there were 15 wins and six draws.
It’s worth looking at this from a different perspective. This is only the initial phase of Thomas Tukhel’s work with the England national team—the team is undergoing the training process. And the causes of the mistakes are more than obvious—the manager is experimenting with game combinations and looking for the best, while the status of the matches allows for this. Outright errors, weak goals, and defeats are all a consequence of such actions. This is natural and even necessary. In addition to England not being able to maintain the desired level of endurance in the qualifying tournament, Tukhel needs to determine how effective their ligaments will be against rivals of their level. Latvia and Albania simply won’t provide the required level of stress. So far, everything is according to plan.
