Stop doubting Tuchel: England's 7-0 rout of Croatia puts Euro 2028 firmly in sight

'Move fast and fix things': a fine week in Rijeka

It has been a fine week for Thomas Tuchel as he attempts the cyclical task of soldering together not just an England team, but a way of looking like one. Writing in the Guardian, columnist Barney Ronay argues it is time to stop doubting the England head coach: England are impressive, and Euro 2028 is the target.

The 7-0 steamrollering of Croatia in Rijeka was a strange affair in atmosphere - more a youth club association sports day than a Nations League tie, with Croatia warming up in a notably fun and jokey way before playing from the first minute like a team recovering from a dose of herbal sleeping tablets. Luka Modric's every touch was met with the kind of noise more usually associated with a boyband appearance, but one of the great players of the age was simply run over by England's youthful and hungry midfield. An ageing Mateo Kovacic - who even in his pomp had, in Ronay's words, "the air of a frail Victorian child masquerading as an elite modern midfielder" - was successfully outmuscled.

There should, of course, be a sense of scale over a couple of Nations League wins against underpowered opponents - Croatia were decent enough at the World Cup. But this came at an absolutely vital moment in the age of Tuchelism.

The engine room: 20 months to a home Euro

The next 20 months are basically it: the engine room, the space where Tuchel gets to decide how good his team can be, leading into a tournament England will never have a better chance of winning. The next Euros are in England.

The only questions that really matter right now are whether there is a vision of a team and a way to play, and whether there is forward progress. The answers to both are yes. England were good in an interesting way in Croatia - a World Cup semi-finalist that has used that experience to improve, strong in every area, physically, technically and in its basic balance. At times, this side has brought to mind Gareth Southgate's team of 2019 into 2020, when key new players entered a blooming environment and suddenly began blowing away mid-range opponents.

Tuchel, for his part, was never realistically in any trouble. But such is the nature of a role where you are only ever a few rapid-fire defeats away from the incredible twin feat of a greatest-ever overseas World Cup and a near-instant heaving from the job. He had never been to an international tournament before this cycle and was never the knockout specialist some seemed to assume - by record, he is a process guy, and England are now right in the middle of that process.

Vindicated calls: Palmer, Foden and the Saudi-bound striker

The first key element of Tuchel's England is the reckoning with the mistakes of the recent past, following the heartbreaking 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina in the United States in which a 1-0 lead slipped away late on. Why, oh why, didn't he take Cole Palmer? Maybe for the same reason Palmer is not here now. Why didn't he take Phil Foden? That has answered itself too. The same goes for not selecting the back-up striker who is now, it turns out, playing in Saudi Arabia. It is entirely legitimate to still disagree with all of these things - but it feels clearer that there was logic and reasoning behind them.

Tuchel's squad management has been similarly pointed: as reported in late September, he branded talk of letting players - or their clubs - pick and choose matches during the elongated Nations League window "madness", with Declan Rice the one player granted a rest.

Bellingham at the hub - and as back-up striker

Most obviously, making Jude Bellingham the hub of this team is an excellent idea, and not just because of his astonishing talent. Rallying around Bellingham is Tuchel's answer to the age-old question of how to make players want to play for England: give them aura, brand power and magnetism, and put the big guy right at the centre. Everyone turns up if Jude is loving it, and players get the chance to exist for two weeks in his forcefield.

Finally, back to the key figure in this cycle: the total weaponising of Bellingham, whose role in the team is now beautifully clarified, stationed in forward areas - and, as it turns out, filling the back-up centre-forward slot too.

Intensity, balance and the next additions

Then there is the way England have played. These players are best suited to high-intensity, hard-running, duel-winning football. It was there in successfully outmuscling Kovacic, and England also played like this for half an hour against the world champions - narrowly losing a game in which they went 1-0 down after a minute and missed a late penalty, the spot-kick Tuchel insisted in September came down to Harry Kane's slip being all that separated England from victory over Spain. This feels like an evolved version of the "packet-ball" intensity that blew Croatia away at the World Cup for 20 minutes then could never quite click into gear again. Cancel the heatwave - the next Euros are in England - and they can play like this for longer.

There is also the issue of balance. Lewis Hall: yes, a proper left-back with a left foot. Jarell Quansah makes lots of sense now, offering something of the Kyle Walker-style recovery athleticism. And Alex Scott looked really good in Rijeka - a genuinely smart, head-up, surging midfield presence. Tuchel is right: he cannot roll into a tournament with two first-choice midfielders, and Scott offered something different in the exact area England lose these high-stakes, high-intensity games.

There is still work to do. England need competition on the right wing: Bukayo Saka is an excellent footballer, but he is not a weapon other teams will fear. Add an England-issue Michael Olise, and this team looks entirely different in its threat levels. Max Dowman is still just a very nice idea at this point - but there is time, and he does not need to be perfect.

The process is far from done

The column's most striking claim is a counter-factual: England would have beaten that Argentina team in Atlanta with the team that played in Rijeka. Stick Bellingham up front in the second half, pack Scott into a three-man midfield, and England would have had a far better chance of seeing that game out. This should not be a source of why-oh-why frustration but of forward momentum - learning new patterns, adding new tricks. The process is also far from done. But with a clear vision, visible progress and a home Euro 2028 on the horizon, the direction of travel under Tuchel is no longer in serious doubt.

This article draws on analysis published by The Guardian, including Barney Ronay's column, and earlier Guardian reporting on England's Nations League campaign.