Thomas Tuchel’s Team Marches On, but Lack of Quality Oppositions Evident

England vs Wales ended in another comfortable victory for the English on Thursday, October 9, as they thrashed the visitors 3-0 in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium. Thomas Tuchel has had a fine record as England manager so far, registering his sixth win in seven matches on Thursday.

The 52-year-old German manager is thus proving his appointment to be the right decision. The Three Lions are almost certain to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but it is the quality of their recent opposition in the World Cup qualifiers that should not allow their supporters to go overboard.

England vs Wales: Three Lions Win Another Match Against Modest Opposition

England have played against the likes of Andorra, Serbia and Wales under Tuchel, who are not great teams by any stretch of imagination. In fact, for a manager who has won the UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga titles, those matches should fail to provide the kind of challenge he craves.

England vs Wales was a cakewalk for the Three Lions, who scored all three goals within the first 20 minutes.

But that is the nature of management in international football. One gets to play inferior opponents mostly and is tested all of a sudden against quality opponents in the knock-out stages of major tournaments. This is the moment of truth for a team that has come without much preparation.

It is certainly not Tuchel‘s fault that England have gotten to play ordinary teams so far under his tutelage. However, the string of victories he has had in his new job will be downplayed by some, about which he can do nothing.

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Positives and Negatives Ahead of Latvia vs England

England have kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches. This is a sign that their defence is holding firm and it should appease Tuchel certainly. The England defence is an ideal mix of youth and experience with Marc Guehi and John Stones as the centre-backs.

Moreover, after the somewhat lacklustre performance against lowly Andorra, the Three Lions have scored eight goals in their last two matches, which is also a very encouraging thing.

Tuchel has taken the brave decision to drop Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from the squad. Both Bellingham and Foden are star players for their respective clubs and going into international matches without them requires a certain amount of boldness from the manager.

However, the German’s success with the English national team will ultimately be measured on his ability to eclipse Gareth Southgate, his predecessor, in major tournaments. And for that to happen, England will have to prevail on the big nights in those tournaments.

As of now, there has been no evidence to suggest that Tuchel can inspire his team to do that. It has little to do with his ability as a manager, but can be attributed to the simple fact that his team has not faced any stiff test yet.

Latvia vs England is Tuchel’s next game, and it is a World Cup qualifier, which is going to be yet another battle with somewhat obscure opposition. It appears that the German will have to wait until next summer to get his first litmus test as the Three Lions’ manager.

Main Photo

Credit: IMAGO / Action Plus

Recording Date: 09.10.2025