Thomas Tuchel wants England to continue to “build a connection” with Three Lions fans as they navigate their way through World Cup 2026.
England got their campaign off to a great start with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia in Group L on Wednesday, with captain Harry Kane bagging a brilliant brace.
The first-half performance was full of nerves and ended 2-2 – but former Chelsea manager Tuchel fired his troops up during the interval, and England dominated the second half.
Goals from Jude Bellingham and sub Marcus Rashford sparked celebrations among England fans in the stadium and in pubs all over the country, with Bellingham and Kane looking emotional at full-time as fans serenaded the players with Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’.
Building a connection
Tuchel admitted he loved what he saw, saying on Sky Sports: “It’s good and it’s rewarding and hopefully everyone enjoyed it. And it builds the connection [with supporters].
“I had a thought in the second half – oh, the people in the pubs they will like this! I was sweating.
“But that’s a good watch when we created and created, and went for it and won another ball, and another second ball, and another wave.
“Okay, come on. And that’s why we watch in a pub all together on a big screen to get emotional, and hopefully we can transmit that.”
READ MORE: World Cup 2026 news: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham inspire England past Croatia
Ghana showdown next
England next face Ghana, who collected a 1-0 win over Panama to join Tuchel’s team on three points, in a 9pm (UK time) kick-off on Tuesday, June 23.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is still recovering from an Achilles injury so is unlikely to be risked, especially as his Gunners team-mate Noni Madueke shone in the right-wing role.
Saka came off the bench in the second half and, like Rashford, made an impressive impact, whereas Anthony Gordon picked up his performance after a quiet first half versus Croatia.
But Tuchel will continue to keep all of his wingers on their toes when it comes to a starting role, saying: “All four of them, the wingers. The level they are competing at was the highest level, especially in the last week.
Difficult decisions
“We had some 10-against-10s in training and some finishing patterns and attacking patterns and defensive patterns.
“Everybody is on in such a respectful way, and we had some difficult decisions to make.
“But they know that we will need them and the time will come where they will start, and the time will come where they can finish and be decisive from the bench, any time.
“It is now four more weeks. So in four weeks, you can swallow it and digest it and buy into it. We selected the group because we know they can do it.”
Michael Davey