Why England fans shouldn’t panic about their World Cup hopes after a dismal international break
England struggled to create chances in their 1-1 draw with Uruguay and 1-0 defeat by Japan at Wembley, but the time to fine-tune this team is not in March
There have been some big feelings in recent days, feelings of consternation, even outrage, at England’s two Wembley performances. Change the players. Sack the manager.
Delete England as a sporting entity. If Harry Kane isn’t fit, do they even bother going through the motions of drawing 1-1 with Croatia and muddling past Ghana, only to be knocked out in the last-16 by the first good team they run into? At which point, perhaps it is worth taking stock for a moment.
It is unlikely any of Thomas Tuchel ’s starters against Uruguay will play a significant role at the World Cup. The line-up to face Japan was stronger but only a handful of those will start in North America. Six key players were missing .
The football was drab and uninspiring, but none of this was entirely representative of who England will be in the summer. The stark reality is that for several of England’s leading lights, this international break was just that, a break, from the rigours of club football which are more gruelling than ever. Tuchel called up 35 players, and almost an entire XI pulled out with injury.
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