Thomas Tuchel’s in-game management: England coach here to make a difference in big moments – positive signs | football news

England did not employ Thomas Tuchel to negotiate the group stages of a major tournament and safely took them into the round of 16. His predecessor Gareth Southgate managed to do it four times out of four. It calculates what happens next.

Tuchel knows remit. He said this in the first press conference. “We have a strong record in the tournament and now we want to push it over the line and put a second star on our shirt. There are some trophies missing and I want to help make them happen.”

The German coach knew then and he knows now that it was never about soft skills or culture. “Gareth has done a fantastic job in terms of sustainability and consistency.” Tuchel’s time in charge will be defined by what he does in the big moments.

England were on the brink against DR Congo and some will struggle to see much of a positive. But the improvements were between them after the hydration break. All eight of England’s shots in the first half were regrouped.

Second-half hydration proved the catalyst from right-back Declan Rice to equalize shortly after the break. It was a bold call that Tuchel credited his assistant Anthony Barry with instigating, but it was a great example of a coach changing the course of a game.

In-game management has long been regarded as Southgate’s weakness – and for understandable reasons. Momentum had shifted early in the 2018 World Cup semi-final but he waited until Croatia equalized before making his first change.

Worryingly, the same pattern was seen in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. An early goal came back to England after Southgate conceded an equalizer midway through the second half, playing a game only waiting to be lost.

World Cup quarter-final in Qatar? No substitutions were made until Olivier Giroud put France ahead in the 78th minute. Cole Palmer came off the bench to briefly equalize in the Euro 2024 final but it was a Spain substitute who scored the winner.

The logic is that Tuchel will seize opportunities to influence things when the time comes rather than letting them slip away. But he has to prove it. Amid concerns about defence, selection and style, there are encouraging signs on that front.

Rice’s comments after the opening 4-2 win over Croatia gave us a clue. “He was on top at half-time, the words he used settled everyone. I can’t say too much. It was one of those moments where you go ‘wow, what a top manager’.”

This resonates with Benjamin Weber. Having been part of his coaching staff at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, where they won the Champions League, before he forged his own career path, he is best placed to know Tuchel’s mind.

Speaking to Webber, he joked that we would need to “have a few beers together” to list all of Tuchel’s qualities, but asked to pick just one, he singled out his former boss’s ability to find a way into one-off games, cup competitions, tournaments as his superpower.

“In the tournament, he’s one of the best,” Weber said Sky Sports. “It doesn’t matter what the tournament was, we would always be in the final. With Dortmund, with Paris, with Chelsea, it was always the cup final. You don’t find many coaches who do that every season.”

How does he do it? Weber spoke of Tuchel’s “winning mentality” and “an aura” that exists not only that he is “a tall guy” but also that he is “a real leader”. And yet, it’s his game-changing abilities that make him special. “The biggest thing is to adapt,” he explains.

“He is very good in the game. He is always coaching during the game to adapt, to get the best out of the players tactically. I was impressed by his half time speech. He is able to motivate the boys with his words. You want to follow.”

Tuchel himself has emphasized that it is often about calmness and clarity, empowering players rather than bombarding them with information. Maybe a reminder of where the space is. A simple strategic message or two. And then being decisive in his change.

There are only two coaches who have won the UEFA Champions League in this World Cup and the other is Carlo Ancelotti. England could face their Brazil side in the quarter-finals and the experienced Italian has already shown his own game-changing impact from the bench.

Ancelotti called for Matthews Cunha to be withdrawn for Gabriel Martinelli midway through the second half of Brazil’s knockout clash against Japan. The Arsenal forward scored the winner in stoppage time to send the team through to the next round.

Martinelli was deployed not on the wing but in the inside left channel, arguably out of position. He scored from there. Casemiro had already equalized for Brazil when many were calling for him to hook. Ancelotti’s instincts paid off.

Smelling a game is not an exact science and comes through experience as well as intuition. But it will be essential to win this World Cup. The first two knockout games were decided in stoppage time. In the next two penalties. Margins are fine.

Southgate’s England often came out on the wrong side of that margin when it mattered most. What will change under his successor? Can Tuchel make calls under pressure in real time that will make the difference? That is why he is in the job.