“The biggest lesson is that this team has heart,” Thomas Tuchel said after England’s win over Mexico at Estadio Azteca. He liked the response, and he did not hide the flaw still bothering him. England won with ten men, Mexico’s defeat was only their third in 89 competitive games, and Tuchel still said the team are “still overprotecting ourselves in defending” before the Norway tie.
The heart Tuchel liked
The Mexico result was not a routine one. England won at Estadio Azteca with ten men, after an hour’s weather delay, and Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds. That is the sort of response Tuchel was pointing to when he praised the group’s character. He has seen enough to know this side can handle awkward moments.
England have also been productive across the tournament. They have scored 9 goals in their last five World Cup matches and won four of those five. Harry Kane has been central to that, with 6 goals in 5 appearances. On the other side of the argument, the same run has brought 5 goals conceded in those five matches, which is why Tuchel kept coming back to the defensive side.
The defensive warning before Norway
The Norway game is where the balance gets tested properly. England are not going in cold, and Erling Haaland is the obvious threat waiting for them. Tuchel’s point was not that England are short of quality. It was that they are still protecting themselves too much when they defend, even after a win that showed real backbone.
That makes the next step fairly clear. England have the attacking output to trouble anyone, with Kane and Bellingham driving the end product, but Tuchel wants the team to trust its structure a little more without losing the edge that got them past Mexico. Norway will show whether that message lands on the pitch.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →