When it comes to England’s foreign managers taking charge of World Cup opening games, Thomas Tuchel has not got hard acts to follow. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team did manage to scrape a 1-0 win over Paraguay in 2006 but at the 2002 tournament, the Swede oversaw a 1-1 draw against his home country. The writing was on the wall for Fabio Capello’s ill-fated tilt at World Cup 2010 when England could only draw one apiece with the United States in their first fixture. It was an ominously poor display.
It does not pay to read too much into the first round of games at a World Cup. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their group opener in 2022 before going on to win the whole thing. No-one of sane mind would suggest Spain are a busted flush because they failed to beat Cape Verde on Monday night. England drew with Uruguay in their first match of the 1966 World Cup. But the game against Croatia in Arlington is a moment for Tuchel to put down his marker. England’s qualifying group was so straightforward that almost nothing could be read into it. Combine a perfect qualifying record against poor opposition with some below-par performances in certain friendlies against better opposition, and you find the jury is still out on whether or not Tuchel is a good fit for England. Croatia will be tough opponents, that goes without saying.
From his squad options, Tuchel should be able to come up with an attacking unit that puts England on the front foot from the first fixture. And that is why he should make some bold selections in his starting line-up. Picking Jude Bellingham - a marquee talent for Real Madrid and a verified big-game operator - is more an obvious decision than a bold one but after serving Tuchel so well, Morgan Rogers still has a chance of starting. But Tuchel must surely unleash Bellingham from the off. And that should also be the case for Marcus Rashford, who did not have an overly-demanding club season at Barcelona and will be fired up by the Catalan club’s decision not to make his move permanent. Anthony Gordon might have more to offer from a defensive perspective, but in this squad, only Harry Kane has more England goals to his name than Rashford, and Rashford can unlock tight games.
It would be a signal of Tuchel’s positive intent if he goes with Rashford and the same will be read into his defensive selections. The obvious concern about John Stones is his relative lack of game-time for Manchester City last season. But he is fresh and fit and, most importantly, can initiate an attacking threat. And in offering an extra attacking dimension, Stones complements his club team-mate Nico O’Reilly. Creativity will be needed all over the pitch to break Croatia down. And Tuchel has plenty at his disposal if he chooses to use it. Like most teams at the tournament, Tuchel will not be gung-ho in these early stages but he can field a team that can confirm England’s status as one of the highly-fancied teams at World Cup 2026.
And here’s how it should look: Pickford - James, Guehi, Stones, O’Reilly - Anderson, Rice - Saka, Bellingham, Rashford - Kane. Over to you, Thomas.
