England have one more game to prepare for their World Cup campaign – and they must use it wisely, writes Phil McNulty.
The final whistle at Wembley felt less like a crescendo and more like a dress rehearsal. For 90 minutes, England went through the motions against a spirited but limited opponent. It was crisp, it was controlled, and it was utterly forgettable.
Let’s call it what it was: a high-intensity training session in front of 80,000 people. But with the World Cup looming on the horizon, the manager knows the time for rehearsal is over. The curtain must rise.
Tuchel’s tactical tinkering
The German head coach used the fixture to experiment. A fluid front three, a rotated midfield pivot, and a high defensive line. It worked, in the sense that the team kept possession and avoided injuries. But the lack of a ruthless edge in the final third was a glaring concern. This was a team playing within themselves, and the boss knows it.
You cannot simulate the intensity of a knockout tie in a friendly. The tackling is lighter, the concentration wanes after the 70th minute, and the urgency is missing. Tuchel will have noted which players switched off and which demanded the ball.
The squad puzzle is not solved
Five substitutions gave the manager a chance to look at his fringe players. Some impressed with their energy; others looked lost in the system. The battle for the third midfielder slot remains wide open, and the left-back position still feels like a square peg in a round hole.
These are not problems that can be papered over by a polite victory against a side ranked outside the top 30 in the world. These are structural issues that require decisive action.
The performance was safe. It was “professional.” In football journalism, we often use that word as a polite euphemism for “boring.” England fans don’t want boring. They want a team that bites, that presses with fury, that plays on the front foot.
One last chance to sharpen the sword
There is one final fixture before the squad jet off to the tournament. It is not a holiday camp. It is the last opportunity to embed the tactical identity, to build genuine chemistry, and to find a plan B when plan A stalls.
Tuchel must use this game to dial up the pressure. He needs to drop the training wheels. If certain players are not stepping up, now is the time to make the brutal decisions that define tournament success.
Playing pretty triangles in your own half means nothing when the likes of France or Brazil are hunting you down in the group stage. The intensity has to come from within the camp, starting now.
Conclusion: The real test starts now
This was a useful fitness drill, nothing more. The scoreline will be forgotten by the time the transfer window opens. What will not be forgotten is how England react when the safety net is removed.
The training game is over. The serious work must begin. If Tuchel can inject the urgency that was so clearly missing, this squad has the tools to go deep. If not, we will be left asking what might have been.
The final rehearsal is not about winning. It is about finding the identity. Let’s hope the manager finds it before the plane lands.
