England’s warm‑up worries and why they need perspective

The matches were muddled, the performances flat, but the panic is premature, as the approach for the uninspiring Send-off Series was very different from what we can expect from England when the World Cup begins in June.

Against Uruguay, Thomas Tuchel fielded a side missing 11 of his regulars. England lacked cohesion or tempo from the start, and the defeat to Japan was even less encouraging. England didn’t manage a shot on target in a first half, during which Kaoru Mitoma’s goal settled the game. But neither team was close to Tuchel’s expected line-up in Dallas for Croatia.

Tuchel has made a career of ensuring his teams peak at exactly the right moment. His work with England is following a familiar pattern. Even amid the disjointed nature of these friendlies, Tuchel emphasised that they were valuable learning opportunities, especially against two well‑prepared opponents, and both of whom are still motivated by winning at Wembley.