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A negative reaction to a drab stalemate with Uruguay at Wembley? It sounds familiar. After all, the reviews were hardly glowing when England began the 1966 World Cup with a dismal goalless draw against the South American team. The criticism came from all angles but had become a cautionary tale by the time Bobby Moore had his hands on the Jules Rimet trophy.
Opinions in international football shift quickly. At the moment the mood music around England could be better. Presented with solid and streetwise opposition last Friday, they struggled to lift the tempo. Time to panic? Did it matter that these warm-up games double as learning exercises for Thomas Tuchel as he finalises his World Cup preparations? That what happens in a friendly in March often bears little relation to the real thing in June?
Maybe, but it was hard not to feel the anxiety as a makeshift England struggled, then not to wonder what the point of this camp is after a host of key players withdrew from the squad 24 hours later.
The cynicism was widespread once it emerged that Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were back at Arsenal with unspecified issues. The news punched a hole in Tuchel naming a split squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Rice and Saka were among 11 regulars given a rest last week, so it does seem unfortunate that they will be out when England host Japan at Wembley on Tuesday night.
It means England played a virtual “C” team against Uruguay and have four potential World Cup starters unavailable against Japan, with Manchester City’s John Stones also among the withdrawals and Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid not being risked after a hamstring injury. This could be going better. It is one thing to cruise through qualifying but, given England’s iffy record against tougher opposition, Tuchel surely would have wanted to play a full-strength side in at least one friendly.
Still, Tuchel was not in the mood for a club-v-country row before facing Japan, who beat Scotland 1‑0 on Saturday. He did not bite when it was suggested that Rice and Saka pulling out looked suspicious in the context of 11 Arsenal players withdrawing from squads or being unavailable for selection during the international break. He did not accuse Mikel Arteta, who has had players pull out of the Spain, Brazil, Ecuador and Belgium squads this month, of using Noni Madueke sustaining a knee injury against Uruguay as an excuse to force Rice and Saka to withdraw.
“Given the amount of Arsenal players, I understand the look,” Tuchel said, but he insisted he had no reason to doubt Rice and Saka. If Arteta is flexing his muscles before the run-in, so be it. Perhaps there will be a wry smile from Tuchel if Saka and Rice feature in Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on Saturday but it seems likelier that Arteta will draw the string by keeping them back for the Champions League tie with Sporting next week.
Ultimately there is concern around fatigue. Tuchel, who has also seen Adam Wharton return to Crystal Palace with a knock, said that Rice had a problem for a while and acknowledged that the physical demands of the Premier League would be one of the biggest threats to England’s World Cup hopes.
There were other worries on Tuchel’s mind. Under the German, England’s record against top‑20 opposition is the draw with Uruguay and a defeat by Senegal. “It plays to my narrative that we don’t arrive as heavy favourites in America,” Tuchel said.
Japan are 18th in Fifa’s rankings. Tuchel said they would be “very mobile, very fluid” and warned that England’s press must be spot on. He will want better game management from his side, although he is not fretting too much about how composure disappeared after Uruguay equalised in stoppage time. The mentality would have been different, Tuchel argued, in a knockout game. “We would have maybe switched to a 5-4-1 if this is a quarter-final and you’re 1-0 ahead,” he said. “We would have different tools if it really matters.”
But there is still plenty for England to prove when it matters. They created little against Uruguay and Tuchel wants more goal involvements from the attacking players who do not have “Kane 9” on their shirt.
“The pure numbers of our players on the wing and wherever are not the outstanding numbers we would normally expect,” Tuchel said, specifying that Saka, Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Phil Foden have to do more.
There was the flash of ruthlessness. There is still plenty to play for against Japan. Elliot Anderson becomes the main man in midfield in Rice’s absence. James Garner, an impressive debutant against Uruguay, could partner the Nottingham Forest midfielder and it feels as if it is now or never for Foden and Palmer in the battle of the No 10s.
Places are up for grabs, with Fikayo Tomori, Dominic Calvert‑Lewin and Aaron Ramsdale sent home. Gordon will look to dislodge Marcus Rashford on the left and there could be a chance for Jarrod Bowen with Saka and Madueke missing. Nico O’Reilly could come in at left-back. The absence of Stones is a blow, leaving Tuchel to consider whether he can trust his best centre-back not to break down this summer, but other defenders can push their claims.
The competitive edge remains. Tuchel is happy with the spirit in the camp; he knows how to make people forget about Uruguay and the fuss around Saka and Rice. “Once you arrive in the US, you don’t think any more what you did in March,” he said. “When it matters, we will be ready.”
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