Thomas Tuchel makes England guarantee as he reveals what’s missing from Three Lions

England boss Thomas Tuchel insists his side will definitely qualify for the World Cup as he bids to turn around their fortunes after a worrying June international break

Thomas Tuchel has admitted his England squad are missing something. If you looked at the performance against Andorra and Senegal, you would probably argue they are missing quite a lot.

And the harsh reality is that Tuchel has even reined back on his language from saying England will win the World Cup when he took over to now admitting they are just in the mix.

The clock is ticking on Tuchel as the tournament kicks off in the United States in a year’s time on June 11 – and that is why it is so surprising the England manager has ripped everything up and started all over again.

England boss Tuchel started with a 4-4-2 formation against Senegal and the players looked as if they were unfamiliar with the system, could not get to grips with the tactics and it did not get the best out of the likes of Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka.

READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel confirms Trent Alexander-Arnold stance after England frustrationREAD MORE: England boss Thomas Tuchel admits his own mum ‘repulsed’ by Jude Bellingham’s behaviour

The point was when Tuchel took over that he said England had been very close – and now just needed the finishing touches. But it looks as if Tuchel is going for a full rebuild.

Former boss Gareth Southgate worked so hard to break down barriers between the fans and the team and also establish a togetherness in his squad that resembled a club atmosphere.

They looked like strangers against Andorra and Senegal. There was no connection, zip or fluidity. Tuchel has shown blind faith and misplaced loyalty by sticking with Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson who are past their best.

Dan Burn looks like a journeyman centre half and suddenly the defence looks a disorganised mess. The tried and trusted back four of Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw at its peak was the rock on which England’s foundations were built.

None of the current back four would get into that line-up. And that is a major problem. So too going to a warm weather training camp for a week in Girona – only to look as if they all got a touch of sunstroke.

Can you imagine the pelters Southgate would be getting if he took England to Spain for a week – and then got two such bad performances?

Maybe England have had their windows of opportunity of winning a major tournament. They came so close to winning the Euros in 2021, they were at their peak in Qatar in 2022 and reached the final at the last Euros last summer.

They now look a team on the way down with a few notable exceptions like Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Saka who have still got the world at their feet.

Tuchel admits the expectation levels still remain sky high but they have to find missing ingredients. And clearly the clock is ticking. Tuchel said: “Maybe our own expectation towards us and how we approach games is also heavy on us at the moment.

“We expect a lot from us, I get it because we expect also a lot from us and myself. I’m missing a little bit the excitement and laughter and the joy. I see it in training, I saw glimpse of it after it was 2-1 against Senegal, I liked the reaction, but in general no.”

Tuchel did insist that England will definitely qualify for the World Cup – and there should be no excuses bearing in mind it is a Group with Andorra, Latvia and Serbia.

But Tuchel said England cannot always take it for granted. “100 percent. But this the balance we have to get right.

“This is the perception because we are competitive, we are in tournaments, we qualify, I’m still 100 percent convinced that we qualify and we will be competitive and are able to win our qualification group. There is no doubt and there will never be a doubt.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.