England's Road To the World Cup Begins Perfectly... If Unspectacularly

The Three Lions entered a new era in the recent round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers under the stewardship of Thomas Tuchel. Previous manager Gareth Southgate led his country to heights they hadn't seen in generations. Back-to-back European Championship finals and a first World Cup semi-final since Italia '90 were enough to secure the former manager a knighthood from his majesty King Charles III, but unfortunately, England remain without a crown of their own. 

As we all remember, all three of those journeys unfortunately ended in defeat. Firstly, it was Croatia in Moscow, with Mario Mandzukic's extra-time winner breaking English hearts. Then, it was Italy and the dreaded penalty shootout curse, under the famous Wembley arch no less. Finally, a second straight Euro final defeat in Berlin last summer at the hands of scintillating Spain forced Southgate to walk away. 

Now, Tuchel has taken charge, and he has gotten his reign off to the perfect start. 

Two Wins, Five Goals Scored, None Conceded

There was cause for cautious optimism when Tuchel was announced as manager at the back end of last year. The former Borussia Dortmund boss led Chelsea to UEFA Champions League glory back in 2021. However, his recent stint with Bayern Munich left a lot to be desired, with the Bavarians losing their Bundesliga stranglehold to Bayer Leverkusen after 11 years of dominance. 

Still, after his exploits at Stamford Bridge, England supporters know full well what Tuchel is capable of, especially in tournament football. There was little in the way of excitement in his first squad selection, with surprising returns for veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson making headlines. There was also little in terms of the spectacular in their first qualifier. 

Online betting sites had England listed as a huge favorite to win their opener against Albania. The popular crypto betting site Thunderpick had them listed at 1.12 to get the job done at Wembley and The Three Lions delivered, without truly setting the world alight. Goals from debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly and captain Harry Kane were enough to secure the three points, but those expecting a demolition job will have been somewhat disappointed. 

Anyone loading up a same-game parlay, made famous by Esports' same-game combos, will have certainly been underwhelmed. Such bets allow one to load up multiple selections from the same game in a bid to boost odds, selecting goalscorers, corners, cards, goals, and much more. But with just two goals scored, five corners in total for both teams combined, and just the one card, some will have felt let down. 

The same was the case in the second qualifier against Latvia. England managed a 3-0 victory against one of the lowest-ranked sides on the continent, with goals from Reece James, Harry Kane, and Eberechi Eze enough to get the win. But again, some may have been underwhelmed. 

Even still, the facts speak for themselves. Two games, two wins, five goals scored, no goals conceded. But does anyone see any vast improvement from the side crafted by Southgate? Probably not. 

World Cup Contenders 

Despite the somewhat underwhelming start to life under Tuchel, England remain contenders to win the World Cup next summer. Online bookmakers similar to the aforementioned Thunderpick currently have them priced at 8.00, good enough for the joint second-favorites tag. And with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka both coming of age to support captain Kane, they are certainly justified with their positioning. 

The problem with England for several years has been their inability to get the job done against the best teams when the pressure is on. See those final defeats to Spain and Italy, as well as their quarterfinal elimination at the hands of France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But the Three Lions have defeated both Germany and the Netherlands in recent European Championships, so perhaps the complaints are somewhat unfair. 

If they are to lift the famous gold trophy next summer, they will certainly have to beat some of the planet's best. Reigning champions Argentina look imperious once again, even if their talisman Lionel Messi will be aged 39 by the time the MetLife Stadium final takes place next July. With Kylian Mbappe firing on all cylinders, back-to-back finalists France will also take some beating. He may not be the most loved player, but he certainly is an asset on the pitch.

But for England, there is a cause for optimism. When Tuchel led Chelsea to Champions League glory, no one expected him to do so. They beat Real Madrid and heavy favorites Manchester City en route to the crown, and three of his key players throughout the tournament were English, namely Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, and current right-back Reece James. 

Tuchel has a reputation for getting the best out of what he has at his disposal, and that could serve him well in North America next summer. Plus, his words of playing with the traditional English fighting spirit will certainly stoke the flames within Three Lions supporters. But as we all know, only one thing will suffice, and that is ending 60 years of hurt in 2026, no excuses.