Thomas Tuchel didn’t scream and shout at his players at half-time, although he must have resisted a mighty urge after watching them twice squander the lead against Croatia in their World Cup opener in Dallas. England went out of their way to help their opponents back into the game, parting like the Red Sea for Croatia’s first and standing like statues as the second unfolded around them.
“We took the decision to go backwards on and off the ball, so we played way too many balls backwards,” Tuchel later explained. “We played way too many balls back to our goalkeeper. We didn’t dare to eliminate, we didn’t dare to play through the gaps.”
Instead of ranting and raving, Tuchel allowed for a few moments of calm before sitting down to be at eye-level with his players.
“I encouraged them to go for it, to play with more courage, to be brave, to be ourselves,” Tuchel revealed. “I told them to calm down. We just conceded a goal, so to calm down, calm their nerves, and encouraged them to do it our way.
“I told them that my perception of them and of the last 17 days will not change because of this result, no matter what the result is. But I want them to do it their way, our way. I want them to be brave, courageous, intense, and on the front foot, and do it together, and just go for it, and try to take it, and be active.
“I encouraged them with words, which was short, was calm, and if they say it helped then even better. But I think that was the main message, to just encourage them and tell them that we trust them, and there is nothing to fear.”
Harry Kane had scored two first-half goals and then watched as they counted for nothing much beyond his own personal records.
“The manager gave a speech,” Kane said. “He just said: ‘If we lose, we lose, we lose in our way … Let the shackles off, what’s the worst that could happen?’
“We came out with real intensity. That’s how we want to play. That’s the level we need to reach. We’re in a really good place as a squad physically. We had too much for a great team who will be here towards the end of the tournament.”
Tuchel said: “I loved the second half, all of it. I loved their reaction.”
Jude Bellingham scored England’s third goal, before Marcus Rashford added the finishing touch on a 4-2 victory.
“It wasn’t one of those where it was a big drama or shouting,” Bellingham said of the half-time scene. “it was just what the team needed. Everyone knew the level we needed to hit, and the early goal gave us a good platform.”
Bellingham was seen whispering in Kane’s ear after the full-time whistle, as the captain nodded earnestly. “I was saying to H [Kane] after the game, that has to be our standard, that has to be the level,” said Bellingham. “That’s a minimum, that second-half intensity has to be our minimum and build from that.
“The first half you can accept that and write off because we were still intense and we did some of the right things but a lot of lads making their World Cup debuts, it’s a big stage and the second half was what we’re about.”
Tuchel added: “I am very happy about the result and also the second half, because we showed a good reaction and the players went for it and played with courage and played with intensity, and we played on the front foot. We created a lot of chances and scored some great goals.”
