Thomas Tuchel facing race against time to solve England issues ahead of World Cup

Five games into Thomas Tuchel’s reign and we are still none the wiser. And, worryingly, Tuchel only has seven more games - five more fixtures in 2025 and two more games in March - to stamp his identity and style on this England team ahead of the World Cup.

England laboured to an ugly, awkward and unconvincing win over Andorra to maintain their 100 per cent record in their qualifying campaign. Harry Kane must have thought he would get a sackful of goals to extend his goal scoring record for his country. But he never got a look-in despite playing the whole 90 minutes.

England are top of Group K, face arguably their hardest test in Serbia on Tuesday night but are unbeaten in 35 World Cup qualifiers - 27 wins and eight draws - which is the best of any team in Europe.

But England have always been good at qualifying. Their problems are when they get to the tournaments. Tuchel is supposed to be the elite manager to get them over that final hurdle which just eluded his predecessor Gareth Southgate.

READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel singles out THREE England stars after Three Lions' struggle vs Andorra

READ MORE: England player ratings vs Andorra as 8/10 man of the match makes real statement

The worry is whether England are making progress under Tuchel. They started his reign with decent wins over Albania and Latvia. But they have managed just three goals over two games against Andorra who are ranked 174th in the world. In June, England were thumped by Senegal, the only half-decent side they have played, and we will probably only learn about this team, its progress and Tuchel in Belgrade.

But, interestingly, Tuchel has now used 29 players in his five games in charge. Elliot Anderson impressed on his debut at Villa Park and put on a decent audition to fill the No6 role which effectively frees up Declan Rice to get forward. However, there are not enough players with their places nailed down. And that is the biggest worry. None of the defenders are 100 per cent secure. Rice will definitely start, Jordan Pickford, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and, of course, Kane.

How far could England realistically go in the World Cup? Share your thoughts in comments below

Kane, who has 73 goals in 108 caps, is England’s most reliable and consistent player. But he is 32 and the worry always has to be with such an important player: what happens if he gets injured before the tournament? That is not being pessimistic. It’s more about being realistic and also the fact England have so few back-up options and there is no-one competing with him.

Tuchel revealed that he always intended to bring on Aston Villa ’s Ollie Watkins because the game was at Villa Park and it would be a nice moment for the striker and his family. But Tuchel left Kane on the pitch because Marc Guehi complained of a groin issue at half time and the England boss was worried about using up too many substitutes and also he did not want to lose any players before Serbia.

Kane will definitely start in Serbia. He has to start. And yet Tuchel admitted that even his Captain Marvel is still searching for rhythm despite scoring six goals already for Bayern Munich this season.

Tuchel said: “It turned out that Harry stayed, it's never a problem, he will be ready for Tuesday. I think like always in the beginning of the season, for every player, you just try to find your rhythm, and it's getting there. He has scored already for Bayern, so he's there. There's no doubts about him.

“We have a lot of options. We have Ollie, we have Harry, Marcus Rashford can play there, Jarrod Bowen can play there, Anthony Gordon played there for Newcastle. I think so.

“ Phil Foden can play in the 9, Morgan Rogers can play in the 9. Let's see who catches form and catches fire in the Premier League, or wherever, and starts scoring. But yes we have enough firepower there."

Interestingly, there was no mention of Liam Delap or Ivan Toney. But Tuchel also says that, despite the sluggish display against Andorra, the players have impressed him in training and they will win in Serbia.

Tuchel added: “The main thing is that I trust them. Because I felt they were very strong this week, had an excellent camp, I felt the energy right, I felt the attitude right, and that's why I have full trust that we will have a good game in Serbia. We will prove ourselves to be ready to win there.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.