England 2.0: Tuchel's new-look Three Lions add 'another layer' of intensity after the World Cup

From World Cup question marks to a refined blueprint

Thomas Tuchel has won 20 of his 26 games in charge of England, but when he was asked after the World Cup whether he had seen his version of England during the tournament, the response was hesitant and unsure. Over the summer, the Three Lions found ways to win but often leaned on scrappy moments of brilliance rather than methodical dominance.

Tuchel always had in mind the type of team, the tactics and the patterns he wanted. He and his assistant coach Anthony Barry have often spoken about borrowing ideas from the Premier League: building up short, enticing pressure, and playing quickly across the middle of the pitch - whether through powerful carrying or long balls - to find runners in attack against fewer defenders. Those were all ideas England tried to execute, to varying levels of success, at the World Cup.

During the recent international break, many of those ideas persisted. There have, however, been deliberate changes in tactics and personnel, with the 53-year-old looking to refine his blueprint rather than rewrite it from scratch. So what's new - and what's not?

An extra man in the central build-up

England have continued to focus on first playing short from the back, intent on drawing opponents towards them before speeding up play to find their attackers in space. But rather than giving the build-up responsibilities to two central defenders and a holding midfielder, as they did during the World Cup, England have committed an extra player to this central build-up unit. Two central midfielders and two central defenders look to solve problems against pressing attackers with a shape that fluctuates between a 2-2 and a 3-1 - with Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa behind Myles Lewis-Skelly and Elliot Anderson, and Lewis Hall advancing into a higher position on the left.

Tuchel has praised Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who took turns with Lewis-Skelly to partner Anderson in the heart of midfield in Declan Rice's absence. Either player taking the role of busy partner for Anderson - boasting technical quality and an ability to take turns playing as a lone holding midfielder - has proved successful for England.

Anderson, who sat at the base of midfield for much of the World Cup, has as a result been deployed in a more varied role. With Scott or Lewis-Skelly picking up the ball from the centre-backs, Anderson has dropped to form part of the back three alongside Guehi and Konsa. This has given him time and space on the ball, facing forward, allowing him to use his forward passing to find attackers quickly - with Anthony Gordon dropping deep and Morgan Rogers making a counter-movement, or run behind, into the vacated space. Anderson has also found himself higher up the pitch on occasion, with the protection of his midfield partner behind him allowing him to showcase his attacking quality.

'Now we have added another layer'

An interesting knock-on effect of this evolution, and a nod to England's overarching development, has been the intensity they have shown as they attack.

"We've always played with high energy and a very aggressive style off the ball, to press high," Tuchel explained. "Now we have added another layer. [Now, our] intensity was very high on the ball. We did a lot of high intensity runs, a lot of counter movements, and invested a lot in counter pressing. It's the next step."

Anderson's ability to counter-press is an individual example of this improvement, but more collective changes have contributed to England's increased intensity in possession.

Extra bodies around the ball

At the World Cup, the system looked like a 4-3-3 on paper. The two centre-backs and the holding midfielder formed a triangle, while on both flanks a central midfielder, full-back and winger formed another, with Harry Kane taking a roaming role. Those wide triangles were the main method of chance creation, built on constant movement as England looked to make it hard for opponents to track them. Although this often got England's winger one-against-one, teams could match England man for man in the wide areas, especially as they fatigued and the off-ball runs that rid them of their markers became less common.

England's recent 3-1-3-3 shape in possession has given them an extra player at the back and appears to have provided better attacking dynamics. The wide centre-back has contributed to attacking play out wide, and England's full-back, winger and number ten work together - often joined by one of the strikers or holding midfielders. Those five players have given England a numerical advantage on the flank, seen mainly down the left.

This international break has seen England far more willing to play in an asymmetrical fashion, at times with six players positioned closer to the left flank. Defensively, that provides extra players around the ball, capable of counter-pressing with more intensity to win the ball back quickly. Offensively, it has given England an unmarked player or two that they have often found. By overloading the left flank, England pull opponents towards one side, which has also enabled them to switch play to the opposite side for team-mates in space - often two against two. In one example against the Czech Republic, Kane dropped into a left-back position as England overloaded the left, dragging the Czechs over towards that side of the pitch.

Hall, Gordon and Kane's chemistry

Lewis Hall has stood out in this system, displaying great chemistry with former club team-mate Anthony Gordon. Hall has taken a wide position frequently, allowing his winger to move in-field and play closer to the striker - and that winger is often the free man. Tuchel highlighted England's counter-movements as part of their improvement, and the swapping and replacing of zones between Hall and Gordon has been a good example of it.

The best example, however, has probably come in the form of Kane and Gordon. The Barcelona winger hugged the touchline for much of the World Cup, being released in behind before crossing, rather than finding space in the box. England's wide overloads and Hall's role have resulted in Gordon playing more centrally for longer parts of the game, allowing him to work more closely with Kane. With Kane dropping deep, defenders are pulled out of position - a trigger Gordon has used brilliantly to make runs the opposite way. Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers have previously found joy exploiting the space Kane creates, but Gordon has been the latest beneficiary while starting out wide.

Tuchel's right-sided conundrum

Gordon's narrow runs from a wider starting position have been mirrored by Bukayo Saka and Rogers on the other side - a new string to England's attacking bow. Trent Alexander-Arnold was benched for Jarell Quansah against Croatia, but the Real Madrid man started alongside him against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, taking a wider position for large parts of the game that moved Saka almost permanently into an inside-right position. From there, Saka appeared dangerous and provided a goal threat, while Alexander-Arnold assisted Gordon with a cross from out wide.

Alexander-Arnold often positioned himself out wide, which gave Saka time in a more central area - another sign of the flexibility Tuchel is demanding from his wide players as England 2.0 continues to take shape.

Refinement, not revolution

The picture across the international break is of a head coach iterating rather than starting again: the short build-up and the hunt for runners in behind remain, but with an extra body in central build-up, five-player flank overloads, more asymmetry and a marked step up in on-ball intensity. Twenty wins from 26 games suggest the process is working - and Tuchel insists it is only the next step.

This article is based on tactical analysis published by BBC Sport.