England’s World Cup preparations suffered a major setback following a humbling 3-1 defeat to Senegal, prompting boos from the home crowd for the second match in a row. Despite this disappointing result and a sluggish win over Andorra days earlier, manager Thomas Tuchel urged calm, insisting there was no cause for alarm with the tournament still a year away.
The match marked Tuchel’s first defeat in charge and England’s first-ever loss to African opposition in 22 meetings. Senegal were fully deserving of the victory, outplaying England for long spells and sealing the win with a late goal from Cheikh Sabaly. England had a brief moment of hope when Jude Bellingham appeared to have equalised, only for the goal to be controversially ruled out at 2-1.
Despite the poor display and fan discontent, Tuchel maintained that there is plenty of time to improve before the World Cup. He pointed to England’s perfect record in qualifying thus far, with three wins and no goals conceded, as a sign that the foundations are in place. He also suggested that the competition for squad places will intensify in the coming months, raising overall performance levels.
“We lost a test match, so there is no need to panic,” Tuchel said. “We don’t go to the World Cup next week. We go in one year. By then, it will naturally become more competitive in terms of squad selection. We’ll be better prepared come September, October, and November.”
The manager was also questioned about his decision to leave striker Ivan Toney on the bench until the 88th minute. He explained that Toney thrives inside the penalty area and the team was not creating enough chances in that zone to justify his earlier introduction. Instead, he opted for Morgan Rogers, believing his attributes suited the flow of the game at the time.
However, Tuchel acknowledged that the loss, coupled with the underwhelming performance against Andorra, leaves a sour note heading into the summer break. He admitted that the team did not meet expectations but welcomed the challenge posed by a strong Senegal side, which he described as a valuable test against a top-20 opponent.
“It’s a bad feeling going into the break like this. We wanted more from these matches, and we didn’t deliver. But we also wanted to be tested. Senegal showed us the level we need to reach. We heard their passion before and after the game it meant a lot to them. That’s something we must match going forward.”
The result raises questions about England’s current trajectory under Tuchel, but with time on his side, the manager remains confident that lessons learned now will benefit the squad when it matters most.
