From Gareth Southgate to Thomas Tuchel - has anything changed for England? - BBC

England were meant to be a different proposition under Thomas Tuchel

It all felt rather familiar as England exited the World Cup with a 2-1 semi-final defeat by Argentina.

Too pragmatic, poor use of substitutes, sitting back too deep and when faced with their first real big opponent of the tournament, a crushing defeat.

All well-known - if at times perhaps unfair - criticisms of Sir Gareth Southgate's England teams.

But this was under the management of Thomas Tuchel, the German brought in to signal a change of approach for England - one that was supposed to bring a first World Cup in 60 years.

So with comparisons being drawn between Tuchel and his predecessor, what has really changed for England?

'They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament'

In March 2025, Tuchel was asked about England's Euro 2024 campaign under Southgate.

Tuchel felt that England did not have "a clear playing style". When asked what was missing, he reeled off a long list: "The identity, the clarity, the rhythms, the repetition of patterns, the freedom of players, the expression of players, the hunger.

"[England] were more afraid to drop out of the tournament, in my observation, than having the excitement and hunger to win it."

Fast forward 16 months and Tuchel's analysis of his predecessor's side could indeed be applied to his team's 2-1 loss to Argentina.

What was Tuchel trying to do differently to Southgate?

It's been no secret what Tuchel has been working towards with England.

The German has taken a system-first approach to international management. His World Cup squad left out a wealth of technical talent including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Before raw quality or star names are considered, Tuchel had in mind the type of team he wanted to see, leaning on specific tactics and the aforementioned "repetition of patterns".

And so the players he selected were the ones that he felt could best carry out the roles he wanted in his England system.

This is why before the World Cup began, debates were had about whether Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers would play as the number 10, or whether Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford would play on the left wing.

Tuchel selected similar profiles to maintain the squad's style, banking on nothing but plan A working – something which ultimately did not happen.

By the end of the tournament, partly driven by injuries, we saw Rogers and Bellingham share the pitch – one on the right wing.

Prior to the tournament, the suggestion was Rogers and Bellingham would be competing for the same position

The "identity" of his side was supposed to come in the form of a few key principles.

Tuchel and his assistant coach, Anthony Barry, have spoken about borrowing ideas from the current version of the Premier League.

Building up short, enticing pressure, playing quickly across the middle of the pitch – whether through powerful carrying or long balls – to find runners in attack against fewer defenders were all ideas England were seen trying to do every game, to varying levels of success.

The second half of the 4-2 win against Croatia, in their opening match, was perhaps the closest example of what Tuchel's ideal version of England was meant to be.

The other part of Tuchel's system that was continually emphasised was use of wide triangles to create chances, with the 52-year-old reluctant to see his side build through the centre.

Rotations and runs off the ball between the full-back, central midfielder and winger before arriving at the byline was supposed to be the main method of chance creation for Tuchel's England, but as much as they tried to make it click, it again did not come to fruition.

England attracted pressure, used wide rotations and runners in behind well vs Croatia

Southgate and Tuchel start at opposite ends

Tuchel's top-down approach differed greatly from Southgate's bottom-up approach, which partly explains Tuchel feeling Southgate's side lacked identity, clarity, rhythm or repeated patterns.

Southgate likely did not rely on a predetermined attacking strategy so it is fair to say his attack was less clear or repetitive than Tuchel's - but this was because he took a player-first approach.

He aimed to get the best talent in the country in one functioning and balanced starting 11. This was, at times, to his detriment – think Alexander-Arnold's struggles playing in midfield.