Since taking charge of England, Thomas Tuchel has won 20 of his 26 matches, yet the German has made clear he is still searching for the complete version of his team. After a World Cup campaign in which England often relied on moments of individual brilliance rather than consistent tactical control, the recent international break offered signs that Tuchel and assistant Anthony Barry are refining rather than overhauling their approach.
The foundation remains the same: England look to build play from the back, drawing opponents forward before accelerating into space. But the structure behind that idea has shifted. Instead of relying on two centre-backs and a single holding midfielder to initiate attacks, as was common during the World Cup, Tuchel has added an extra body to the build-up phase. Two central midfielders now combine with two centre-backs in a shape that shifts fluidly between a 2-2 and a 3-1 formation.
Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly have both featured alongside Elliot Anderson in central midfield, deputising in the absence of Declan Rice. Anderson, who often sat deeper during the World Cup, has taken on a more varied role — sometimes dropping into a back three alongside Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa, giving him time on the ball to launch progressive passes toward attackers in transition.
Tuchel believes this tweak has sharpened England's intensity without the ball as much as with it. "We've always played with high energy and a very aggressive style off the ball, to press high," he said. "Now we have added another layer. [Now, our] intensity was very high on the ball. We did a lot of high intensity runs, a lot of counter movements, and invested a lot in counter pressing. It's the next step."
That extra layer has also reshaped England's attacking patterns. During the World Cup, England typically attacked through symmetrical triangles on each flank — a full-back, winger and central midfielder working together with Harry Kane roaming centrally. It created isolated one-on-ones but allowed opposition defences to match up player for player as games wore on.
Now, England have leaned into asymmetry, frequently overloading the left side with as many as five or six players, including a centre-back pushing into wide areas. This has proven particularly effective down the left flank, where Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon have developed a strong understanding built from their time together at former club Chelsea. Hall often holds the width, freeing Gordon to drift inside and combine closer to Kane.
That partnership with Kane has been especially fruitful. Where Gordon spent much of the World Cup hugging the touchline at Everton before his Barcelona move, he now frequently drifts inside to exploit space vacated when Kane drops deep, pulling defenders out of position in the process — a pattern previously seen benefiting Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers.
On the right, similar movement has been asked of Bukayo Saka, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarrell Quansah rotating in the full-back role to allow Saka to drift inside. Against the Czech Republic, Alexander-Arnold operated wide, giving Saka freedom centrally, while against Croatia it was Quansah offering the width as Saka adjusted accordingly.
Despite his quality on the ball, Alexander-Arnold's role in Tuchel's system remains uncertain. "Trent is a unique player," Tuchel explained. "He is not a runner. He is not someone who runs through the last line, who does overlaps [and] underlaps... On the right side, [we need] movement through the last line - to play with dynamic movement."
The message is clear: in Tuchel's England, tactical principles take precedence over individual reputation. As the system continues to evolve, it remains up to the players to prove they fit within it.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.