Thomas Tuchel is refusing to get carried away. Despite England's opening 4-2 win over Croatia, the head coach has framed the nervy first half as a timely warning — and made clear he wants a far more disciplined defensive performance as the World Cup unfolds.
Key takeaways
- Tuchel calls the shaky first half against Croatia a "wake-up call" despite the win.
- A victory over Ghana in Boston would send England into the Group L knockouts with a game to spare.
- His main gripes: dropping into a low block too early and too many easy ball losses in transition.
- Declan Rice has returned to training; Bukayo Saka is pain-free but likely to start on the bench.
Victory over Ghana in Boston on Tuesday night would carry England into the knockout rounds of Group L with a game to spare, and they would top the group should Panama then fail to beat Croatia later on, because head-to-head results are the first tie-breaker at this World Cup. But Tuchel, who built his reputation on front-foot, aggressive football, was unhappy with how readily his team retreated in the chaotic early stages of their opener.
Conceding twice stung partly because of the standard England set in qualifying. They swept through qualifying Group K with eight wins from eight, scoring 22 and conceding none — the first European side to complete a World Cup qualifying campaign of six or more matches with a perfect record and a clean sheet in every game. Against Croatia, that defensive certainty was breached twice before half-time.
How the opener unfolded
England had started brightly in Dallas. Noni Madueke was brought down by Luka Modrić for a 12th-minute penalty, and although Dominik Livaković kept out Harry Kane's first attempt, the kick was ordered to be retaken for encroachment — and the captain made no mistake second time around. Croatia's response was sharp: Luka Sučić got the better of John Stones on the flank and teed up Martin Baturina, who lashed an equaliser into the top corner.
Kane restored the lead with a header from a rehearsed corner routine, only for Croatia to strike again before the interval. A simple ball over the top found Ivan Perišić, just onside, and he slipped in Petar Musa to finish — precisely the kind of goal Tuchel later picked apart. Within two minutes of the restart, Jude Bellingham had put England back in front, and substitute Marcus Rashford sealed it five minutes from time after being picked out by Saka.
The night came with milestones. Kane's double took him to 10 World Cup goals, level with Gary Lineker's England record, while Bellingham became only the third player — after Pelé and Michael Owen — to score at two different men's World Cups before turning 23.
"That is just not us"
The German delivered a forensic breakdown of where it went wrong before the break at Dallas Stadium — particularly the shape that allowed Croatia to level for a second time on the stroke of half-time.
"Defensively we dropped a little too deep, from a middle block into a low block — which isn't a problem in itself, but we did it too early. If you look at the goal we conceded, we played a back-seven formation, which is just not us. Maybe it's good that we conceded, because it tells us: let's not do this again."
— Thomas Tuchel, England head coach
His other gripe was sloppiness in transition. England put in an enormous effort to win the ball back, he noted, only to surrender it immediately. "We had too many easy ball losses after ball wins," he said. "We need to manage those moments better, and in possession there's plenty to improve too — when do we accelerate, and how do we give the man on the ball more options in the gaps? The beauty of it is that we don't need to invent anything new."
Tuchel was quick to stress the positives, too. "I was very clear with the team: we deserved that win," he said. "There's a lot to take from it, but I expect a very different setup now. We need to improve our structure with the ball so we're ready to defend counterattacks before they become dangerous."
Keeping the level up
England's second half against Croatia was a different story — Tuchel rated it among the best 25 or 30 minutes his side has produced — and the challenge now is sustaining that standard. "That's the tricky part," he admitted. "But first of all I'm very happy, because we found an answer to adversity. We conceded at a horrible moment, the last shot of the first half, and responded with our best football."
Beating Croatia also carried some weight given the recent history between the sides. Croatia broke English hearts with a 2-1 extra-time win in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, before Raheem Sterling's goal earned a 1-0 victory at Wembley in the opening game of Euro 2020.
Ghana under Queiroz
He has been equally pleased with the mood in camp ahead of Ghana, who opened with a 1-0 win over Panama. "The players keep themselves on edge," he said. "The ones who didn't start are pushing, and we make sure everyone is pushing in training. At the moment I can't see any signs of complacency."
The Black Stars are led by Carlos Queiroz, the vastly experienced Portuguese coach who was appointed in April after Otto Addo's departure and has previously taken Portugal and Iran to World Cups. His side needed patience in Toronto, with the winner against Panama only arriving in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Caleb Yirenkyi turned in a cross from substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante. Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who was denied entry to Canada for that game, is expected to be available on US soil.
England v Ghana: the history
- Tuesday's game is the first meeting between the nations at a World Cup.
- Their only previous match was a 1-1 friendly at Wembley in March 2011 — Andy Carroll scored before Asamoah Gyan's stoppage-time equaliser.
- England have never lost to African opposition at a World Cup in eight meetings.
- Their only defeat to an African side in any fixture came against Senegal, 3-1, in June 2025.
Team news
Declan Rice has trained after discomfort against Croatia, while Bukayo Saka — managing an achilles issue — is now pain-free but likely to start on the bench. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon are competing for the left flank, and Marc Guéhi is pushing John Stones and Ezri Konsa for a central role.
Tuchel also faces a call on his back four. Djed Spence's pace could be valuable against Ghana's chief threat Antoine Semenyo, though Reece James will be hoping to keep the right-back spot. Major changes look unlikely.
Praise for Barry, frustration over breaks
One of the talking points from the Croatia game was the strikingly candid half-time interview given by assistant Anthony Barry — and Tuchel has no intention of reining him in. "Everyone's talking about it," he said. "I'm delighted if he does that at half-time, then I don't have to. You can see the quality — the guy is a top coach, an inspiration, and he pushes and supports me. It's just top level."
The pair go back a long way. Tuchel kept Barry on his staff when he arrived at Chelsea in January 2021, and the Englishman was part of the team that won the Champions League that season. Barry later followed him to Bayern Munich, where he was put in charge of set pieces, and has also coached Belgium and Portugal under Roberto Martínez.
Less to his liking are the tournament's hydration breaks, expected again in Boston amid a forecast of rain and temperatures around 19C. "They change the identity of a football match much more than I thought," Tuchel said. "They break the game almost into four quarters. I prefer football played in one go, because it builds a momentum that's hard to keep — though in fairness it makes sense that every match here gets them."
FIFA has made the pauses compulsory for the first time at this World Cup: the referee halts play for three minutes around the 22nd minute of each half, in every fixture, whatever the weather or venue. FIFA's reasoning is that every team should play under identical conditions.
