England’s fans were carried out of the magnificent Dallas Stadium into the warm night air on a carpet of exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel’s side delivered a powerful statement of intent.
Harry Kane told his England team-mates to be “free in the mind” and embrace the pressures the World Cup brings – and they took him at his word for good and bad.
England’s opening 4-2 win against Croatia was a mixture of thrilling attacking football and worrying defensive frailty, but the smiles on the faces of supporters making their way away from this vast arena told another story.
This was, whisper it, fun.
England have been a hard watch for much of the recent era, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and World Cup quarter-final in Qatar four years ago. Those two tournaments were dry fare, despite England progressing deep into them only to eventually fall short.
Sir Gareth Southgate’s excellent record showed the ends justified much of the means, but it was rarely done in a style that moved you towards the edge of of your seat.
Not here. Dull this was not – although admittedly not always in a way Tuchel would have enjoyed.
This was a game you could not turn your gaze away from for a second, whether it was watching the cold fury of Tuchel in the first half, then an attacking siege in the second half which led to England’s head coach falling into the arms of countryman Jurgen Klopp in the aftermath when he spotted him on the touchline working as a TV pundit.
It was football on the edge and England’s followers, judging by their reaction at the final whistle and afterwards, loved it.
Whether they will love it if England defend so poorly against better opposition is another matter.
The thought of world-class strikers being faced with the sort of slipshod defence we saw in Dallas, especially in the first half, will be a very sobering takeaway for Tuchel, who will know it was simply not good enough.
The selection of Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was contentious. It is a debate that will continue as Aston Villa’s defender did not make a compelling case for his continued inclusion.
Tuchel could barely disguise his displeasure as England led twice through captain Kane, who equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup record of 10 goals for his country, only for poor defending to allow the ever-dangerous Croatia back into the game.
Whatever Tuchel said, and it was unlikely to have been pleasantries, was the catalyst for an outstanding attacking display which saw Jude Bellingham restore England’s lead moments after half-time.
Croatia were then pinned back under a wave of attacks, particularly for one spell midway through the half, which they somehow survived until Marcus Rashford wrapped up the win late on.
Tuchel’s team selection was a tough one given the resources at his disposal, but selecting Bellingham ahead of Morgan Rogers – the tightest of calls as he admitted – and preserving Bukayo Saka’s fitness by playing Noni Madueke worked.
Bellingham was England’s powerhouse with surging runs from midfield, exemplified by his goal when he left Mario Pasalic trailing before beating Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic.
It was the moment the game turned as England – late out for the second half and clearly fuelled by a few verbals from Tuchel – instantly played with more urgency and intent having regained their advantage and the initiative.
Madueke was lively throughout, winning an early penalty when he was quicker to the ball than the labouring Luke Modric. Kane, who now has a remarkable 81 goals in 115 internationals, saw an odd stuttering penalty saved – but won a reprieve when it was adjudged keeper Livakovic had strayed off his line.
Kane was not passing up the second chance.
England’s performance had its flaws and it is too soon to get carried away – but future opponents will have viewed their attacking display with some trepidation.
The context, however, is that too often England were founding wanting at the back. It might have to be a case of fighting fire with fire unless Tuchel can find a fix.
England’s win was also the product of positive thinking from Tuchel, who is clearly not going to try to end England’s quest for a first men’s success since the 1966 World Cup by hiding behind the door.
Tuchel has not attempted to downplay expectations. “The second star on the shirt” has been his aim from day one. The German’s attacking strategy means he is unlikely to be accused of the conservative approach that was constantly thrown at predecessor Southgate.
And he backed his words with actions. Take Tuchel’s changes after 72 minutes.
No notes of caution as the attack-minded Rogers replaced the more defensively inclined Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford replaced Anthony Gordon and Saka replaced his Arsenal team-mate Madueke.
England were 3-2 up at the time – but his changes were designed to extend that lead rather than merely preserve it.
“When we were sat there watching the game and I saw the three lads coming on, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers, I said ‘I absolutely love these subs’,” said ex-England forward Wayne Rooney, who was working as a pundit for BBC Sport.
“I loved how positive Thomas Tuchel was being because if you sit back and wait for Croatia to come on then it gets nervy. It’s brave and shows he’s trying to win the game. Then Djed Spence came on and all four involved in that [Rashford] goal, I think it’s brilliant.”
Paul Robinson, the former England goalkeeper who will watch their games as a BBC Radio 5 Live pundit, agreed: “The way he made his subs was brave and bold. They came on and affected the game.
“The biggest thing I can take from this is that the players who came on gave Thomas Tuchel a real headache and that’s the biggest thing for the manager.”
And former England keeper Joe Hart added: “He [Thomas Tuchel] said ‘we’re going to blow these out of the water’. We have the legs, we have the ability. He brought them on and it’s so good for the squad for the bench to come on and impact like that.”
England’s first steps in this World Cup were hesitant and uncertain – but when they hit their stride it brought to mind that word again.
Fun.
Tuchel knows winning the opening game is crucial to provide the platform for progress from Group L. Now they must lay further foundations against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.
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