How Worried Should England Fans Be After Defeat By Senegal?

With exactly one year to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup, England do not look like a side ready to end 60 years of hurt.

They were beaten 3-1 by Senegal at the City Ground on Tuesday, with Thomas Tuchel tasting defeat for the first time since taking charge.

It may have only been a friendly with a much-changed team, but the loss was met with a chorus of boos from fans in Nottingham.

Tuchel says there is “no need to panic” but, with the countdown on to the World Cup, how concerned should England fans be?

‘We let the country down’
Before defeat by Senegal, England had won all three matches under Tuchel, beating Albania, Andorra and Latvia without conceding a goal.

But Senegal’s victory – the first for an African side against England in 22 attempts – soured the mood for some supporters.

“We let ourselves down. We let the country down. We let the badge down. It really wasn’t good enough,” said England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

“It felt like after we went 2-1 down, that’s when we started to play. That’s when we started to have that freedom and try and do something with the game, but we should have started the game like that.”

Tuchel replaced Gareth Southgate following last summer’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

While Southgate guided England to two finals and a semi-final during eight years in charge, they struggled to get over the line in major tournaments.

Another of the main complaints was the lack of identity in their playing style, and there has been little evidence that Tuchel has shifted the team in a new direction.

“Senegal were better, they deserved the win and England go into the summer off the back of an eye-opening defeat,” former Everton playmaker Leon Osman told the BBC’s Football Daily podcast.

“I expected England to still be playing the same system they had done for the previous tournaments but with some slight tweaks.

“Yes, this is a friendly and the moment to try and change something. And that’s my question: is this the start of Thomas Tuchel thinking ‘now we need to play a different kind of football and system?’ Or was this just a one-off?”

Tuchel signed an 18-month contract when he replaced Southgate.

Lee Carsley, the England Under-21 manager, was given six matches in interim charge of the senior side from September to November despite Tuchel being a free agent.

It has left former Chelsea manager Tuchel with little time to stamp his authority on the team.

“He’ll be concerned,” former Manchester United captain Roy Keane told ITV.

“We’re on the outside looking in, but there’s something missing. They don’t look like a happy group.

“Are they all in it together? Is there that proper spirit in the group? I’m not so sure.”

‘The World Cup is not next week’
Depending on your outlook, the World Cup being one year away is a blessing or a worry for England.

For some, there is little time left for Tuchel to iron out the issues that have played out during his first four matches in charge.

For others, there is plenty of time left for him to get to grips with the job and to better understand his players.

Tuchel picked an experimental starting XI against Senegal, with Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalaboh and Levi Colwill in central defence and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze on the wing.

“We had a lot of changes with a lot of players that don’t have so many caps playing together because I wanted to see them in exactly this situation,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It is the second camp; there is a lot of learning going on for all of us. At the moment it is tough learning.

“We need to stay calm. It is not what we expect from ourselves, result-wise, and we need to accept the criticism and get better.

“The World Cup is not next week. I am still confident.”

Former Manchester City and Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown told Football Daily: “Let’s not have one of these negative feelings again towards this national side.

“Look at the back four. We had Kyle Walker, who made the mistake, who is very experienced. And the next three along the line – very inexperienced.

“The intensity changed when we made the substitutions and we had all the attacking players on.

“The way we dropped off, I feel we were a little bit afraid. That is the danger; that is the worry.”

Where do England stand?
England are top of their World Cup qualifying group, with three wins from three.

They resume the group phase with a home game against Andorra on 6 September, before a further four qualifiers to make it to next summer’s World Cup – and a friendly against Wales in between.

Provided they qualify automatically, there will be opportunities for friendlies in the international break in March and in the weeks before the World Cup.

England played two friendlies before Euro 2024, beating Bosnia-Herzegovina before losing to Iceland.

Should Tuchel do the same, England will have at least nine matches before the World Cup, with five qualifiers and at least four friendlies.

Is that enough time for Tuchel to build a World Cup-winning side?

Time well tell.

Bbc.com