Just three months after Thomas Tuchel came under fire for his contentious role in England’s World Cup exit, the German said Saturday’s 7-0 demolition of Croatia proved they have healed the wounds of that painful experience.
Tuchel’s side were on the verge of reaching a first World Cup final since 1966 when they took the lead in the second half of the semifinal against Argentina in July.
But Tuchel’s decision to adopt a more defensive approach in the closing stages backfired spectacularly as Argentina scored twice in the last five minutes to leave England’s World Cup dream in tatters.
The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss was pilloried for his cautious tactics, leading to questions about his ability to retain the backing of his players.
Tuchel absorbed the slings and arrows of a heartbroken nation before setting about salving the wounds during the current international break.
Despite losing 3-2 to world champions Spain in their Nations League opener last weekend, England’s performance was encouraging for Tuchel, who saw more reasons for optimism in Tuesday’s ruthless 2-0 win over 10-man Czech Republic.
And as England peppered Croatia with a relentless attacking display in the Nations League tie in Rijeka, Tuchel could finally start to move on from the World Cup woe.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka both scored twice, with Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers also netting.
It was the sort of vibrant attacking performance that England fans hoped for at the World Cup, and Tuchel believes the lessons have been learnt.
“I’ve said many times, we will always have a scar, and we will always feel pain and disappointment. That is the way it is but this is the way to move forward,” he said.
But England were masterful as they inflicted Croatia’s heaviest ever defeat, albeit Slaven Bilic’s ageing side are a shadow of the group that reached the World Cup final in 2018 and the last four in 2022.-AP
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