Tuchel's England analysed: How good are they?

"Thomas Tuchel's England have only played six games together and Tuesday's 5-0 win against Serbia was the most impressive. With the World Cup fast approaching, Tuchel has the difficult challenge of refining his best 11 and the tactics he uses in a very short period of time. So what have we learned so far from his short tenure? BBC Sport analyses how Tuchel has aimed to use his England squad, and their strengths and weaknesses, so far."

"England have won all five of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding a goal. A friendly against Senegal was Tuchel's only blip as England lost 3-1, despite fielding a fairly strong side. An impressive record, but fan sentiment around England prior to the impressive display against Serbia was split and there was a sense they had lacked the dominance a team of their quality should have displayed."

"England have largely played in a 4-4-1-1 shape. In build-up, England have moved between various shapes including a 2-3-5, a 3-2-5 and even a 2-1-7 on Tuesday, as illustrated below, with the full-backs key to this. In the 3-2-5, one full-back will join the two centre-backs. The three at the back on the ball is a solution to build up around certain opposition presses, with the additional player acting as an extra passing option."

Thomas Tuchel's England have played only six matches together, with a standout 5-0 win over Serbia. Tuchel must finalise a best starting XI and tactical approach quickly before the World Cup. England won all five World Cup qualifiers without conceding, but lost a friendly to Senegal 3-1. Fan sentiment was mixed before the Serbia display, raising questions about dominance. Tuchel has used consistent principles based on a 4-4-1-1 base and fluid build-up shapes including 2-3-5, 3-2-5 and 2-1-7. Full-backs are pivotal, either joining centre-backs to bypass presses or advancing to free midfielders to push forward.

Read at www.bbc.com