England’s 7-0 Nations League win over Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday was, on the face of it, a rout. It came in front of around 6,000 spectators, in an atmosphere closer to a school sports day than a competitive international, and Croatia — a side that had been decent at the World Cup — never came to terms with the game. Luka Modric’s touches drew the kind of noise usually reserved for a boyband appearance, but the midfielder was simply run over by England’s youthful, hungry midfield, while Mateo Kovacic was outmuscled in the middle.
The result arrived with England having just finished third at the World Cup, and with Thomas Tuchel still very much in charge and building. Talk of Tuchel being safe in his job may sound absurd on its own, given he was never realistically in danger — but it reflects the peculiar volatility of the England role, where a manager can be only a few rapid-fire defeats away from the sack even after a greatest-ever overseas World Cup. The next 20 months amount to the engine room of his tenure, the spell in which he decides how good this team can become.
The most significant change is the positioning of Jude Bellingham at the hub of the side. He was superb against Croatia, as he had been at the World Cup, and building the team around him is both a footballing and a psychological device: give the squad a player with that kind of aura and presence, and the rest follow. It is Tuchel’s version of the rallying points previous England managers used to bind a group together.
Some of the recent selection calls now look clearer. The decision not to take Cole Palmer to the World Cup, the omission of Phil Foden and the absence of a back-up striker who is now playing in Saudi Arabia all drew criticism at the time. There is still room to disagree with those choices, but the logic behind them has become more visible.
Individual questions are being answered, too. Lewis Hall has enjoyed a fine international break and looks to be first choice at left-back. Jarell Quansah makes increasing sense, offering something of the Kyle Walker-style recovery athleticism. Alex Scott looked genuinely smart in Rijeka, a head-up midfield presence, and Tuchel is right that he cannot go into a tournament with only two first-choice midfielders.
England also produced this intensity for half an hour against the world champions, in a game they lost narrowly after going 1-0 down inside a minute and missing a late penalty. That is the template — high-intensity, hard-running, duel-winning football — and the next European Championship, staged in England, offers the chance to sustain it for longer.
What remains is competition on the right wing. Bukayo Saka is an excellent footballer, but not yet a weapon that opponents fear; add a player of Michael Olise’s profile and the threat level changes. Max Dowman remains, for now, an idea rather than a certainty. The process is unfinished — but the 7-0 in Rijeka, a result that will not win a tournament on its own, is nonetheless a sign of forward momentum.