England fans will be hoping that head coach Thomas Tuchel can lead them to their first World Cup since 1966.
Former England boss Gareth Southgate reinvigorated the national team by reaching the latter stages of four tournaments.
Most recently, Southgate led the Three Lions to the 2024 European Championship final in Berlin, in which they lost 2-1 to Spain.
Tuchel’s job is to take England one step further at the World Cup this summer — a feat John Terry believes is possible.
Terry recently explained why he expects England to challenge top contenders Spain and France for the Jules Rimet trophy.
He also named the biggest difference between Tuchel and Southgate, which could be the deciding factor in going all the way.
John Terry says Thomas Tuchel will make England calls Gareth Southgate never did
Thomas Tuchel is considered to be a much more experienced and successful manager than Gareth Southgate.
He has won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain and the Champions League with Chelsea in the last five years.
Those achievements have probably given him the confidence to make controversial decisions, such as leaving out Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Tuchel excluded several high-profile players from his 26-man squad, preferring to build a cohesive team with fewer stars.
John Terry expects the former PSG manager to make similarly difficult decisions with England’s playing XI at the World Cup.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Tuchel’s. When he had success at Chelsea, I saw him work; I saw firsthand just how good he is with the players,” Terry said on TikTok.
“I think the most important thing, and we’ve seen this with the group he’s sent over to the World Cup, is that he will make the big decisions.
“I think the one criticism of Gareth over his tenure is probably that he didn’t do what a lot of us would have done in those big moments, taking big players off in those big games.
“If Harry Kane needs to come off, I think Tuchel is big enough to take him off if he’s not playing well.”
Having observed Tuchel at Chelsea, Terry thinks the German’s ruthlessness separates him from the player-friendly Southgate.
While this may appear harsh on Southgate, England ultimately fell short in a number of big games during his tenure.
The penalty-shootout defeat to Italy at Euro 2020, having scored after two minutes, was probably the most disappointing.
Therefore, Tuchel’s winning mentality may be the key factor in finally ending England’s 60-year trophy drought.
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