THIS ENGLAND TEAM FEELS DIFFERENT

Published: 19/06/2026, with Jack Whilshire and Beau Keefe.

Following England’s first World Cup outing under Thomas Tuchel, Jack Wilshere and Beau The Beard linked up at the Sports Direct World Cup Café for a post-game debrief. Here’s what they’re thinking.

The opening game of a major tournament rarely tells you everything. Nerves are inevitable. Rhythm can take time. And expectation hangs over every touch of the ball.But as England swept past Croatia in an entertaining 4-2 victory, there was a growing feeling that this wasn't simply another winning start. There was a different energy about the performance – greater intensity, clearer structure and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of identity.

Speaking alongside Beau Keefe at the Sports Direct World Cup Café, former England midfielder Jack Wilshere offered his assessment of Thomas Tuchel’s England after their tournament opener. From tactical tweaks and second-half dominance to Harry Kane’s evolving role and Jude Bellingham’s influence, Wilshere saw signs of a side capable of going much further than simply navigating the group stage.

Beau The Beard: Jack, what was your immediate reaction to England’s starting XI?

Jack Wilshere: Not enough Arsenal players!

No, honestly, I liked it. The only area I questioned was centre-back. If Thomas Tuchel wants England to dominate possession and build from the back, I’d have started John Stones because he’s so important in that aspect of the game.

Apart from that, though, I thought it was a strong team. What really stood out was the second-half performance. The first half was understandably a little cagey. It’s the opening game of a World Cup, there’s pressure everywhere. Your family’s watching, the whole country’s watching and everyone expects a result.

But in the second half, I thought we saw an England side we haven’t really seen before.

BB: England looked a little disjointed in the first half. What did you make of the performance overall?

JW: I agreed with some of the criticism. At times they didn’t look balanced, they weren’t creating enough and defensively they still looked like a group learning how to play together.

That said, Croatia’s goals were top-quality. Sometimes you have to give credit. The second one especially was an unbelievable pass and finish.

What I liked was that you could already see what Tuchel wants. He wants a team that dominates possession, controls games and spends less time defending than England sides of the past.

The more they play together, the better they’ll become. There will be bigger tests ahead, but there are already clear signs of what this team can be.

BB: From a manager’s perspective, what changed after half-time?

JW: I think Tuchel’s influence was massive.

I was at the 2014 World Cup under Roy Hodgson, who I loved working with, but tactically I think Tuchel is operating at a different level. He has the ability to identify problems and make changes that genuinely alter the course of a game.

The other thing is that he doesn’t carry the same baggage that comes with being an English manager. Of course he'll feel pressure, but not in the same way. Sometimes having that outside perspective can actually help.

At half-time I imagine his message was simple: forget the expectation, forget the noise, this is how we win the game. Go and execute it.

And that’s exactly what the players did.

BB: The intensity looked completely different after the break. What did you make of it?

JW: It really did.

Those first 20 minutes of the second half were probably the best I’ve seen England play in tournament football for a long time.

It reminded me of England against Holland at Euro ’96. I know I was only four at the time, but I’ve watched it enough times! England came out and completely blew them away.

What impressed me was the tempo. International football can often be slow and cautious, but England suddenly started playing with Premier League intensity.

That’s something we have to use to our advantage. The Premier League is the best league in the world because of its intensity and physicality. Players like Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have the ability to dominate duels, press aggressively and keep doing it for 90 minutes.

That has to become one of England’s biggest weapons.

Even when you compare us to teams like France, I think physically we can match or surpass almost anyone.

BB: What did you make of Tuchel’s substitutions?

JW: I thought they were brave.

Declan Rice may have been carrying something, but even if he wasn’t, I didn’t mind the change. The game needed something a little different.

I actually like Jude Bellingham dropping deeper at times because he’s so brave on the ball. When you have a midfielder who can drive through the middle of the pitch and eliminate players, it changes the whole dynamic of a game.

I also think rotating the wide players throughout the tournament will become important. Full-backs get tired, games open up and England have genuine quality both in the starting XI and on the bench.

Overall, I thought Tuchel showed he isn’t afraid to make big decisions.

BB: What were your biggest takeaways from the performance?

JW: Set-pieces were a huge one.

England looked dangerous every time they had one. As an Arsenal fan, I found it quite funny because everyone spent the season complaining about Arsenal’s set-pieces, then suddenly everyone was celebrating them when England scored.

But in all seriousness, set-pieces win tournaments. In tight knockout matches they become absolutely crucial.

The other major takeaway was Harry Kane. For years people have criticised him for dropping deep, but I thought he was outstanding.

The difference now is that England have runners around him. If Kane drops into midfield and you've got Bellingham, Rice and the wide players attacking the space beyond him, it works perfectly. He’s not dropping deep just to get touches on the ball. He’s doing it to drag defenders out of position and create space elsewhere.

Then he has the quality to pick the pass.

That’s what makes him such a complete footballer.

BB: Kane’s role looked very different to previous tournaments.

JW: One thing I really liked was how Tuchel adjusted the press.

People have often said that Kane isn’t naturally aggressive when pressing from the front. Rather than forcing him into that role, Tuchel seemed to leave him slightly deeper and allowed the players around him, particularly Anthony Gordon, to be more aggressive.

Then when England won the ball back, Kane was already in a better position to influence the next phase.

We’ve seen him do that for Bayern Munich. Sometimes he’s picking the ball up almost from centre-half positions, but it works because there are runners beyond him.

One of Kane’s greatest strengths is his understanding of space. He knows when to drop, who to attract and where the gaps will appear.

And once he identifies them, he has the passing range to exploit them.

BB: Who was your man of the match?

JW: I’d probably say Harry Kane.

But Jude Bellingham was very close.

Jude has this ability to raise the level of everyone around him. It’s not always something spectacular. Sometimes it’s winning a tackle, chasing a loose ball or dominating a duel that nobody else wants.

For some reason he divides opinion in this country, but I think every great team needs a player like that.

He’s a superstar. And if there’s a big moment in a big game, he’s exactly the type of player you want on the pitch.

The good thing for England now is that there’s competition around him as well. If things aren’t quite working, someone like Morgan Rogers can come on and offer a completely different profile.

That’s a healthy position to be in.

BB: Finally, how far can this England team go?

JW: I genuinely think they can win it.

I’ve said England could go all the way before, but if I’m honest, I probably didn’t fully believe it.

This time I do.

What I saw against Croatia felt different. There was a clear identity, a clear plan and players who have both the technical and physical qualities to carry it out. There will be tougher games ahead. There will be opponents who can match England physically and force them to find different solutions.

But this is the best start England have made to a tournament in a long time and that confidence will only continue to grow.

The next two group games should help build even more momentum before the knockout rounds begin.

And ultimately, if you want to win a World Cup, you’re going to have to beat the best teams eventually anyway.

So yes, I genuinely believe this team can go all the way.