England on a high after historic Croatia rout; Republic of Ireland v Israel and WSL buildup – matchday live
Latest news before Nations League fixtures
Share your thoughts with John via email
Did that crushing win wipe away the tears of Atlanta and Argentina? Not really, admits Thomas Tuchel.
“If you feel pain you have to lay with the pain,” the manager said. “The same with disappointment. It was not easy at the beginning of the camp. We had an excellent performance against Spain. The focus in the meetings, the translation of the meetings on the pitch, to bring it within these circumstances in Croatia, to win this dominant performance is the way to move on. We’ll always have a scar, feel pain, but this is the way to move forward. We’ve played in the same manner all three matches.”
Everything clicked. England could have had double figures against opponents ranked 13th in the world but they settled for seven. Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka were in lightning, goalscoring form on the flanks and another story was an exceptional full debut from Alex Scott. The 23-year-old proved that he belongs, impressing with his tenacity and quality on and off the ball, and made it hard to shake off the sense that Tuchel missed a trick by not taking him to the World Cup.
