England look like a team reborn in the Nations League. Does it matter?

England came into the first international break of the season carrying a “scar” of their World Cup failure . That scar is still very much there after a drawn-out three-week camp, but renewed promise has helped the healing process. If there were fears that the woes of Thomas Tuchel ’s men would snowball into a full-blown crisis, that has not happened. Another dominant display against Czech Republic rounded off their quartet of Nations League outings and Tuchel will part ways with his squad feeling happy with what he has seen. England have enjoyed an excellent international break (Reuters) “It’s always important to take the next step,” Tuchel said. “The commitment of the players and the attitude of the players from first day in camp was on a very high level, and I'm happy that we could prove it in all four matches.” After a tournament where England’s intensity and cutting edge went missing when it mattered most, the Three Lions have seemed to find their roar back on European soil. There has been a real intensity to Tuchel’s side that we hadn’t seen before; a relentless press that exposed its opponents. Croatia, a husk of the team that broke English hearts eight years before Argentina did the same, shipped seven as England refused to stop. Thomas Tuchel is delighted with what he's seen from his England side in the first international break post-World Cup (PA) Against the Czechs, the end result wasn’t as brutal with England tiring in the latter stages; perhaps the strain of such a long camp began to finally take its toll. But the outcome was rarely ever in doubt, even before Harry Kane notched his brace on a record-equalling 125th cap, drawing level with Peter Shilton . Jude Bellingham hailed his captain as the “best England player to have worn the shirt” after the final whistle. England aren’t just running hard, though; the freedom they have been playing with over the past weeks speaks to the loosening of shackles under Tuchel. Kane’s first was a simple-enough finish, but it was the culmination of probably the most beautiful move of the German’s reign. Elliot Anderson with a sublime lofted first-time pass with his back to goal, finding the run of Morgan Rogers on the right who guided his own one-touch cross low into the path of Kane to score. Tick, tick, boom. It’s these moments of beauty and brilliance that reiterate this team’s potential. But as we enter a new international cycle, the question lingers over whether England can come up with this sort of magic when the world is watching. Harry Kane finished off probably the best goal of the Tuchel era so far (Reuters) England’s relationship with pressure is well documented; it’s been the basis of 60 years of hurt. At the World Cup, Tuchel’s ill-fated decision to go defensive against Argentina felt like it was born from a fear of failure on the biggest stage. You don’t get that in the Nations League. Uefa will insist to the contrary, and players will call it a piece of silverware they want to win. But the Nations League is a B-list competition at best, and a complicated mish-mash of glorified friendlies to its most apathetic. There is not the weight of pressure and expectation, nor the everlasting pain of failure (Spain seemed to get over their 2025 final loss rather easily), which in turn lets England to spread their wings. Tuchel was allowed to move on from his side’s knife-edge defeat to Spain at the beginning of the international break rather than be hounded on his shortcomings, with England scoring 12 to no reply since. There was no such luxury in the United States. He was evidently still tetchy about firestorm he faced immediately after the Argentina loss, which completely drowned out the fact his team still had a third-place play-off to play. He thinks the level of scrutiny was too high - asked why, he snapped back: “Were you in the press conference before the France game? You would know why.” Tuchel is still tetchy about the firestorm he faced following England's semi-final loss to Argentina (Getty) Fortunately, that will be less of a factor in his Nations League title tilt, with England’s progression to the quarter-finals now all but sealed. His team will not be weighed down by a burning desire for glory, because frankly the Nations League isn’t the type of glory fans are yearning for. The struggle in maintaining this fire and freedom will instead stem from the schedule, with the Nations League finale coming at the end of a typically jam-packed season for his mostly Premier League -playing squad. “We will always have this disadvantage that most of our players play in the most demanding league with the most matches, in teams that play 60-plus matches, and every single match in the Premier League is a tough one,” Tuchel laments. “We will always arrive in any tournament in summer with this disadvantage, but we have a competitive edge and the players will be ready. We were ready at the World Cup physically, and we will be ready at hopefully the Nations League finals, and we will be ready in the Euros.” With encouraging signs aplenty, the vibe inside Wembley was perhaps not what you’d have expected three months ago. Captivated by the football being played, the fans were singing Tuchel’s name. “It means a lot. It’s the biggest honour,” the manager says. Tuchel feels the intensity of the Premier League puts his team at a disadvantage when summer tournaments roll around (Getty) The hope is that these signs will turn into silverware; triumph in the Nations League will provide, if nothing else, the long-awaited optic of England lifting a trophy. But the reality is England can’t provide answers to this summer’s shortfalls in this particular competition, just like they can’t exactly prove title credentials in qualifying. England need to get out of their own heads and when it truly counts. They’ll get an opportunity to do so in no less than 20 months, when the Euros lands at their doorstep.