Football tactics correspondent

Published

2 hours ago

England battled to overcome Norway in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, yet manager Thomas Tuchel remains uneasy.

"We created unnecessary challenges for ourselves," Tuchel remarked. "The outcome is excellent but I am dissatisfied with how we performed."

He balanced this by praising the squad's resilience: "I admire the commitment, unity and confidence shown in facing difficulties.

"Yet as a coach I believe improvement is possible. We experienced shifts in control for both sides. Our approach made things tougher through imprecise play, numerous errors in technique, insufficient speed and lack of consistency."

So what improvements does he seek? And crucially, if the team falls short of expected standards, how do they continue to progress?

How does Tuchel want England to play?

Upon naming his World Cup squad Tuchel had a clear vision for the team's style.

Selections were made according to fit within set positions, such as the competition between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers for the attacking midfield role before the event.

These positions rest on core ideas including:

Control the ball for long periods
Apply intense pressure high up
Use measured passes to draw opponents forward
Once pressure is drawn, speed up to locate forwards with room
Versus compact defences, focus attacks on the sides with overlapping movements and rotations

These elements have appeared at times during the tournament but Tuchel seeks more.

What did Tuchel want to see against Norway?

Most of Tuchel's comments concerned ball retention so context comes from England's forward play and Norway's defensive setup.

Stale Solbakken deployed a 4-5-1 formation to limit space while England built in a 3-2-5 shape.

Marc Guehi, John Stones and Ezri Konsa formed the initial line. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson sat in midfield. Left-back Nico O'Reilly pushed forward to create overloads against the Norway defence.

Tuchel noted a lack of repetition in build-up. He meant the team failed to sustain sequences of short passes designed to pull Norway higher.

Such patterns are valued because they create openings for forwards either wide or via balls in behind.

Against Ghana in the group stage, who used a similar block, Tuchel urged short passes before switching play, a pattern visible early against Norway.

By circulating the ball on one side England drew Norway across before switching to the opposite winger, often Anderson finding Noni Madueke.

The wide players did not finish those opportunities yet the approach showed promise.

Later the pattern faded. England lost control, with possession falling from 68 percent to 44 percent after the interval.

The untapped potential of England's wide triangles

Rotations within wide triangles were intended as England's main attacking tool.

Tuchel's disappointment stems from Norway's shape offering ideal conditions for these moves, yet England lacked the required tempo.

Norway's wide midfielders stayed high rather than dropping into defence, keeping a compact back four behind.

This created several options for England in those wide areas.

With Anthony Gordon, Anderson and O'Reilly, the winger could drift inside behind Julian Ryerson, leaving space for teammates to exploit outside.

Norway's zonal marking meant they defended areas rather than specific runners.

Quick movement into vacant zones would have created overloads around the full-back.

Similar ideas succeeded for Iraq and France against Norway, sides less focused on this method than Tuchel's team.

'Fearful' and 'sloppy'

In one sequence the ball was not delivered swiftly to free players and Guehi instead advanced slowly before attempting a risky central pass that was intercepted.

This matches the imprecise play Tuchel described.

Assistant Anthony Barry's earlier comments add context. After the Croatia match he noted the side was not exploiting gaps or increasing tempo and instead reverted to cautious habits.

Although England reached the semi-finals, similar issues persist.

How do England keep winning?

England could not break down Norway when the game resembled a training exercise yet still prevailed.

For the opening goal a long clearance from Orjan Nyland fell to Anderson. Norway were caught out of position and Anderson drove forward, drawing Ryerson and freeing Gordon on the flank.

Kristoffer Ajer shifted across to cover, pulling Sander Berge into defence and creating space for Bellingham to finish.

Similar elements featured in the goal against Mexico where Rice carried the ball and delayed the full-back before Bellingham arrived late.

England's players excel at capitalising on brief disorganisation through natural ability that is difficult to coach.

For the winner Norway again lost shape after a corner. England reacted quickly, with Rogers striking from range and Bellingham anticipating the rebound.

Bellingham later observed that the psychological element of handling pressure stands out alongside technical and tactical factors.

England's ability to thrive amid disorder reflects both mental strength and individual quality.

Tuchel believes strong performances lead to victories and he aims to build conditions for more consistent chances. Against Argentina he will focus on refining those wide rotations.