England’s warm‑up worries and why they need perspective
04.04.26, 08:00 Updated 04.04.26, 00:40 4 Minute Read
Phil Martin
England’s back‑to‑back limp displays at Wembley against Uruguay and Japan have generated a familiar level of hysteria from some quarters.
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.
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Phil Martin Author, journalist and veteran of eight major tournaments, and England top capper, with a background in sports writing, editing and publishing.