England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday evening to get their World Cup campaign off to a flying start.
The Three Lions put in a brilliant second-half performance against Croatia, and numerous players were picked out for praise after the game.
However, aside from the players, Thomas Tuchel also deserves credit for how he handled his first international tournament match.
England went in at half-time at 2-2, and Tuchel clearly lit a fire under his team to get them revved up for the second-half.
Jude Bellingham scored swiftly after half-time, and rather than sitting back, Tuchel went for the jugular, making attacking changes.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Gary Neville was full of praise for Tuchel and how he handled this game, especially with his substitutions.
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Gary Neville hails Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions
Neville spoke about Tuchel and the in-game changes he made for England.
The pundit praised the manager for being bold and brave, even when he had a lead to protect, claiming that most managers wouldn’t be so front-footed.
“I thought when England were 3-2 up, you don’t see many managers making that sort of what would be those types of substitutions,” Neville said.
“The volume of substitutions, three of them all at once, but also putting Jude Bellingham back into central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson was a really attacking move, and not many managers would do that.
“They might take a step back in the game to be able to go forward and just sort of what would be not protect what they’ve got, but be a little bit more sort of
“It was really brave.
“It was a good night for him. The team in the second half were fantastic. It was a good performance.
Neville would later repeat a similar point on his podcast, labelling the changes as ‘incredible’.
“I thought his substitutions were incredible. I thought they were I thought they were really good they were brave, they were positive. They were good.”
Tuchel is a manager who knows how to handle big games and big moments – he’s done exactly that in the Champions League, so a group game against Croatia isn’t going to overawe him.
Of course, as we go later into the tournament, it may prove more difficult for Tuchel to make these ‘brave’ decisions, but if England are to be successful, they need a manager who is willing to take risks in high-stakes moments.
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