Thomas Tuchel began this extended international break saying he wasn’t a fan. Too long, he said. It is unlikely the England manager feels that way now.
England have grown stronger and better and more convincing with each passing game. An 11-day spell that began with an error-strewn defeat to Spain has ended with England starting to look like the powerfully dangerous team Tuchel wanted them to be when he took the job two years ago.
A fortnight ago, as England’s players gathered at St George’s Park, we badgered Tuchel about his team’s style of play.
What exactly was it? Did he know? Could it work?
At times, his answers were a little tongue-tied. He talked of embracing chaos. It wasn’t convincing. Slowly, though, his players have spoken for their manager. There has been no chaos, only progress.
England have motored through their last three games – admittedly against modest opposition – scoring 12 unanswered goals and playing the kind of energetic, intelligent and versatile football that may yet offer them a route to real glory in the home Euros of 2028.
Record-breaker Harry Kane scored twice for England against Czech Republic, who have progressed since the World Cup
Thomas Tuchel’s side won 3-0 at Wembley in their final game of the three-week long international break
Front and centre has been captain Harry Kane. The 33-year-old made his record-equalling 125th England appearance here and scored his 90th and 91st goals. Of course he did. Kane continues to set extraordinary standards.
Jude Bellingham was magnificent once again and is now having the kind of influence on team-mates that simply can’t be bought. Bellingham is developing into a truly elite footballer. For England’s best player, there currently appears to be no horizon and, crucially for England, he is now dragging others along with him. It has been quite a turnaround for a player who was not selected for his country just 11 months ago.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold affecting this game like he once did for Liverpool, the Czech Republic couldn’t cope. England carried threat from all angles and all areas. It was lovely to watch. A proper team.
An own goal from Vladimir Coufal helped them along and by the time we had reached the hour England were three to the good thanks to two Kane goals. Unexpectedly, there were to be no more.
Tuchel craves consistency with this England team. He has seen some of that in two defeats of the Czechs and the pounding of Croatia sandwiched in between.
In terms of his selection, it was a little harder here. The three-day turnaround from the weekend forced his hand. He felt compelled to relieve Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka and that gave Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze opportunity.
Alexander-Arnold’s selection and performance was also pivotal to a first half England performance in particular that bristled with energy and intent.
Tuchel had been impressed with the Czech performance in losing to Spain on Saturday and had anticipated challenges here.
England are starting to flow – Kane scored a fine third goal following great play from his team
Former West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal (left) had a hard night and scored an own goal
But so dominant were his team that the visitors were never allowed to get going. England suffocated them in midfield with the intensity of their football and their hustle and the key play of the opening 45 minutes was clear.
Win the ball in central areas and switch it quickly to the right, most often to Alexander-Arnold. The Real Madrid full-back had 30 touches in the first half an hour and the majority of them were deep in the Czech half.
England didn’t actually score until the 28th minute but it was always coming. Alexander-Arnold’s early free-kick was touched round the post while there were other close calls.
Rogers – also on that right side – was a persistent threat while Elliot Anderson’s passing range was exemplary. Occasionally England over-played and their finishing was not as sharp as it may have been but eventually the Czechs put the ball in for them.
The move flowed down the right, of course, and this time it was Kane who drifted wide to cross low.
Eze had actually stopped running by the time Coufal smashed it past his own goalkeeper under no pressure from six yards. It was strange. But all we can perhaps offer the West Ham defender by way of mitigation is that England’s football had by that time placed his team under such stress that mistakes were becoming inevitable.
Once ahead, England sensed opportunity the way good teams do. Two minutes later a sublime move involving Anderson, Alexander-Arnold and Rogers ended with Anderson appearing on the end of it to shoot over. Then, five minutes before half-time, England scored a goal of truly beautiful simplicity.
Another searching ball from Anderson landed on Rogers’ instep and his first time cross found Kane unmarked. The finish was as clinically straightforward as we would expect. That, in a single movement, was how Tuchel wishes this team to play and shortly after striking the bar from distance, Kane rose highest to meet a 57th minute corner and headed a third England goal down into the net at the near post.
The Three Lions are playing in a way that could offer them a real shot at glory at Euro 2028
Tuchel loves his set piece goals and that would have pleased him. England, though, were in the mood to entertain. The days of the Wembley paper aeroplanes and the Mexican waves seem to be behind us, for now at least.
There was, perhaps inevitably, a slight drop in intensity as the game wore on and Tuchel’s substitutions arrived.
It was hard not to feel some sympathy for Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has been in the form of his life at Leeds but had previously been afforded only seven minutes against Spain during this whole period.
Does Kane really need another hat-trick so badly that he cannot be sacrificed with the team leading 3-0?
Tuchel perhaps feels he has earned the right to make those decisions and his captain was hunting a third right until he was eventually replaced by Calvert-Lewin with ten minutes left.
England were not to score again and Wembley felt a little flat by comparison towards the end. Disappointed even.
That in itself shows just how far a team has come in such a short time. The next significant test is Spain in Madrid next month. England, at the very least, should travel in hope.
