Thomas Tuchel arrived in Prague with a modern-day alchemist’s challenge: find the right chemistry among England’s valuable attacking and defensive pieces.
He departed without the gold, but with exactly what mattered — a 2-0 victory, three Nations League points and a clean sheet to launch England’s campaign.
England discovered a formula that worked, although the Czech Republic helped their cause after playing for more than an hour with 10 men. Their numerical disadvantage also gave Tuchel the ideal conditions in which to test a few tactical ideas.
Crossing the Trent
Trent Alexander-Arnold made his first England start of the Tuchel era, with the manager seemingly reaching the point where selecting the Real Madrid player had become the obvious choice.
The decision made sense on paper. England were expected to dominate possession, and the match unfolded in precisely that way.
The Czechs defended in a compact block while England pushed both full-backs high and wide. At times, however, they advanced so far that they crowded the areas where the wingers wanted to operate, leaving the final third short of space.
Trent Alexander-Arnold made his first England start under Thomas Tuchel
England looked far more dangerous on the left during the opening half, where Newcastle pair Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon combined with an instinctive understanding. On the opposite flank, Bukayo Saka and Alexander-Arnold were still searching for the same level of connection.
“We never doubted that he can produce these kinds of assists,” Tuchel said after the final whistle. “The deeper position in the second half suited him more than the higher position in the first half.”
“Overall, I think we had a good and professional performance. Of course, the red card, like always, an early red card has such a heavy influence on the game. Psychologically, it can make the task a little more complicated.”
Tweaking Thomas
Tuchel’s interval adjustment immediately paid dividends — the kind of decision that can make a manager look inspired when it works and foolish when it does not.
Eberechi Eze replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly at half-time, giving England two attacking No 10s in Eze and Morgan Rogers operating behind Harry Kane in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Elliot Anderson was left as the lone midfielder, and the change immediately created a useful inside lane for Alexander-Arnold. Instead of moving around the outside of Saka, he could now drive through the space inside him.
That positioning allowed Alexander-Arnold to receive the ball in a threatening area before delivering a magnificent cross for Gordon to head home. Gordon also deserved considerable credit for attacking the delivery at the far post, underlining the confidence he appears to have gained since his move to Barcelona.
Alexander-Arnold’s contribution was equally significant. Facing 10 opponents and largely freed from the heavier defensive demands of the game, he had the platform to display the qualities that make him so dangerous in possession.
He responded impressively, helping England break the deadlock before taking on the responsibilities of a senior player. When teenager Rio Ngumoha entered in the 71st minute, Alexander-Arnold was also seen guiding and supporting him.
Cleaning the sheets
Before kick-off, Tuchel had been asked about England’s defensive record. They had failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous six matches since a 2-0 World Cup victory over Panama, conceding 13 goals during that run.
The England manager rejected the idea that the problem was rooted in the team’s overall defensive structure. Instead, he blamed individual mistakes, pointing to errors against Spain on Saturday and in the early stages of the match in Prague.
Tuchel described England as “a danger to ourselves”. He changed three members of Saturday’s back four, but the Czech approach was to sit deep and allow centre-backs Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah to enjoy possession.
That strategy encouraged Anderson and Lewis-Skelly to drop deeper in search of the ball, while Kane was also drawn into midfield. The England captain was in that area when he surrendered possession in the first half, sparking a dangerous moment that only ended when Chalobah made an important blocking challenge.
After the red
The red card flattened the atmosphere inside the Fortuna Area. The crowd just shy of 19,000 did not seem to turn up with any great expectation and there was a strange absence of fury when Pavel Sulc was sent off for a bad tackle rather than a vicious tackle on Anderson midway through the first-half.
Those with the drums and loud hailers behind the goal barely broke stride and the rest of the stadium simply lost heart, a feeling which infected the Czech players and England played out to half-time in almost complete possession.
The dismissal of Pavel Sulc for his foul on Elliot Anderson killed off the hosts’ energy in Prague
Space for England in the final third vanished, effectively turning the contest into a training exercise with an attacking unit trying to pick through a packed defence.
It left James Trafford as a virtual spectator on a night when he hoped to impress but he will cherish the clean sheet and late saves made as the Czechs threw caution to the wind.
Eze before Bellingham
Tuchel resisted the urge to summon Jude Bellingham in the search for a goal. Instead, he turned to Eze’s creative flair and unpredictability but beyond that the whole team moved the ball at a quicker tempo.
The sharper movement dragged the Czechs out of shape. Once Gordon’s opener went in, the home team made occasional forays forward and the contest opened up again.
England were two up by the time Bellingham came on to replace Kane soon after the skipper had scored his 87th international goal to prove he doesn’t have to play brilliantly to affect the game. The sign of a great goalscorer.
READ MORE: Czech Republic 0-2 England PLAYER RATINGS: How did Trent Alexander-Arnold fare on his return? Who was almost embarrassed by an early error? Who proved he belongs at international level?
