Tuchel has 371 days to solve 11 problems if England are to win the World Cup ...Middle East

It is just over a year until the World Cup kicks off in Mexico City.

Barring a catastrophe, England are going to be there, but in what sort of shape still seems unclear.

Here are the issues Thomas Tuchel needs to sort before the serious business gets underway.

Cole Palmer could have a big part to play in Tuchel’s plans for England (Photo: Getty)

A biggie, this. Tuchel came into the job talking of transplanting the pressing, energetic Premier League style into the national team but how realistic is that given the heat they will encounter in the US, Mexico and Canada?

Gareth Southgate tried to mitigate for end-of-season exhaustion with a low block that ground out results last summer but Tuchel is meant to be evolving England. The compromise, surely, is to get some control of the ball but do the Three Lions have the players to do that?

Tuchel’s squad isn’t exactly blessed with players capable of doing that – Adam Wharton’s most recent engagements have been with the under-21s – but he needs to find a way otherwise England will be expending a lot of unnecessary energy chasing after the ball when they collide with the elite sides.

A Harry Kane Plan B

Harry Kane remains the alpha and omega of England’s attacking options, even if evidence from the Euros last summer was that his influence is beginning to wane. Unless injured, Tuchel will start him in every big game.

But Ivan Toney’s shock recall suggests Plan B is not yet set in stone. Toney is scoring goals but in an inferior league so can consider himself lucky to be involved at all.

square FOOTBALL

Jordan Henderson has led Ajax to an all-time bottle job

Tuchel might, instead, be praying that Liam Delap’s progress at Chelsea is stellar enough for him to emerge as a proper Kane alternative.

Everyone knows England have a talent for the ages with Jude Bellingham, but his national team career has been about moments rather than sustained influence in the biggest matches so far.

Lee Carsley got a tune out of him in the Nations League by basically shaping his entire system to suit him, which is a big risk in the biggest of games.

Yet the rewards might just be taking England further than they have ever been in an overseas World Cup.

The Jordan Henderson question

Back in the set-up for vibes and leadership, England can just about get away with Jordan Henderson this summer.

But the selection still appears baffling when there are better midfielders playing in the Premier League.

Tuchel really needs Henderson back in England and must be hoping Sunderland’s interest in him materialises into something so he can justify retaining him in the squad for another year.

Dan Burn has been called up for his experience and leadership qualities (Photo: Getty)

Give Southgate his due, he was not afraid of ripping up the best-laid plans to accommodate bolters in his England squads.

Carsley took that to the next level with his experimental selections but Tuchel seems to have rowed that back by opting for the likes of Henderson, Kyle Walker and Dan Burn.

It is an interesting decision given the way the domestic game in England is going with a heavy push towards players under the age of 26. Will Tuchel stick with it as the months tick closer to the World Cup?

Declan Rice water carrier?

As Declan Rice illustrated in the Champions League this season, he is so much more than a destroyer.

But for England, he has primarily been used as a player who recycles the ball to those who then go on the front foot.

Is that the best use of Rice? Perhaps others might have to do their share of the dirty work to get more out of the Arsenal man.

An area where England always had strength and certainty, suddenly their defence is a cause for concern. With Harry Maguire seemingly cast out and Marc Guehi injured, there is an unfamiliar look about Tuchel’s defensive options.

Against Andorra that won’t matter – you could probably play anyone from England’s four divisions there and still win – but there needs to be certainty in this area long before the World Cup.

Read Next

Read More

Time for Ezri Konsa to step up? Or can Ben White – back in the picture after talks with Tuchel – make the step up?

Making Trent Alexander-Arnold the Real deal

England have never had two players in the starting XI of Europe’s elite club before.

That Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold now qualify suggests there is something in the idea that this is a golden generation.

But Tuchel needs to do more with Alexander-Arnold than Southgate ever did. England listing him as a midfielder doesn’t bode especially well.

The expansion to 48 teams was always going to make this World Cup a mess but the geographical spread poses really logistical problems for the Football Association.

How do you snare the best facilities when you could be playing a few time zones and a seven or eight-hour flight away?

England have tried to replicate the feel of a World Cup environment with their mini camp in Girona but nailing down plans is going to be fiendishly difficult.

Undercooked England must be a worry

A quick glance at England’s fixtures for the rest of the year shows how uninspiring 2025 is going to be for Tuchel.

Senegal, ranked 19th in the world, are the most difficult opponents England will face before concluding the qualifiers in November. Good luck trying to spin a double header against Andorra as anything other than a glorified training exercise.

It is a worry. England need to test themselves against the best and Nations League relegation means they haven’t played anyone decent since they took on Spain in Berlin back in July. The fixture planners need to put some proper tests in place for early 2026.

Your next read

Ignore the dictators! It’s time for Club World Cup to unite us all

Bournemouth refusing to budge on £45m fee for Liverpool target Kerkez

Everton track Icelandic striker with goals in his blood

Will Wrexham sign Jamie Vardy? I asked their transfer adviser

Squaring the attacking circle

Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon – there is a serious arsenal of attacking talent there that doesn’t command a starting place yet.

How does Tuchel avoid the trap Southgate fell into by playing it safe?

You suspect that if he can find a formula to utilise these dangerous players, he will be halfway to winning the World Cup.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Tuchel has 371 days to solve 11 problems if England are to win the World Cup )

Also on site :

• Beloved 'MasterChef' Star Announces 2 Exciting New Ventures
• AP PHOTOS: Protesters tear-gassed in Los Angeles after federal immigration arrests
• Aldi Is Selling a Stylish $20 Acacia Wood Table Similar to Article and Wayfair Styles Over 7x the Price