England have witnessed both the friendly side of Thomas Tuchel and his tactical sharpness in warm-up matches. Now, they are seeing the emergence of ‘Tournament Thomas’ — or as the Germans might say, ‘Turnier Thomas’.

With the real competition underway, Tuchel is attempting to balance intensity with calm composure. The England manager has so far relished the experience of the World Cup. The opening victory over Croatia led some to suggest that Tuchel’s men were the standout team in the first round of fixtures. His half-time talk in Dallas, which triggered an immediate improvement, hinted that Tuchel has found his personal equilibrium.

Tuchel thrives on competition. His success in knockout tournaments was clearest when Chelsea lifted the Champions League in 2021. He performs well under pressure and with a clear objective in sight. Having had 18 months to prepare for his first major international challenge, Tuchel is clearly enjoying the ride.

“I don’t do anything extra. It just gives me a lot of energy to be at a World Cup, to have this tournament and be in competitive mode, to be surrounded by world-class players and fantastic personalities,” Tuchel said. “It energises me.”

England managers have long faced the challenge of managing emotions during big tournaments. Fabio Capello’s strict regime once drained the joy from his squad, while Sven-Goran Eriksson was often accused of being too laid-back. Tuchel aims to find the right middle ground — and for a personality as magnetic as his, it’s about calibrating how much of that charisma to project.

“I’m influencing the players, influencing the staff, so I have to be on the front foot [but] also not too much,” he explained. “I want to have the right mix between relaxation and the smile and the arm round the shoulder and good spirit. I hope that they feel it because the competition is on and I want to be at my best and support them to be their best, because it’s their stage. It’s their potential that has to bring us all the way and should shine. That’s how I understand my role and I love the competition and being a coach.”

Tuchel’s calm yet motivational presence has been evident around the England camp. Interestingly, the boy from Bavaria now finds himself leading the Three Lions on football’s grandest stage. For Tuchel, this World Cup presents a new experience. “I’ve had one of the best days and weeks of my coaching career until now,” he admitted.

Those last two words carry weight. England now move to Boston to face Ghana after a strong start against Croatia. Yet history offers reminders of how quickly fortunes can turn — England’s World Cup campaigns have often unravelled, sometimes even before the tournaments began.

From David Beckham’s red card in 1998 to Wayne Rooney’s dismissal in 2006, England’s past is filled with moments that became defining. While things are going smoothly now, Tuchel remains cautious: “It always can change in an instant. You’re always just one red card away from a completely new situation; this can always happen. I don’t want to talk about it too much and prepare for something but something else is round the corner. Maybe nothing is around the corner so why even put it out there? Maybe nothing is round the corner and we do it and we will be in control. Let’s see.”

Encouragingly, England have shown resilience when faced with adversity — such as when Croatia equalised just before halftime. “I am very happy because we found an answer to adversity,” Tuchel said. “We conceded in a very tricky moment.”

That moment allowed Tuchel to view even the defensive lapses positively. “We need to do things better,” he acknowledged. “I think defensively we dropped a little too deep from a middle block into a low block and deep block, which is, in itself, not a problem, but we went a bit too early. Maybe it is good that we conceded, because it just tells us, ‘let’s not do this again’. It makes no sense, it’s not us, it doesn’t play to our strengths.”

Part of Tuchel’s mission is to harness England’s traditional strengths — to get his team playing at Premier League tempo and replicating their club-level form in international colours. The inherent grit of English football could prove crucial for their next challenge.

“The beautiful thing is that the things that were not so good we do not need to amend anything new, we just need to do our stuff better from the first half [against Croatia],” Tuchel added. “I expect more ball possession. I expect Ghana to rely on counter-attacks because they are very physical, very fast and dangerous.”

Victory in Massachusetts would guarantee England top spot in their group with a match to spare. But Tuchel isn’t getting ahead of himself. “At the moment I cannot see any signs of complacency,” he said. “The players keep themselves on edge.”

If England continue to perform, fans might again sing anthems in celebration. Tuchel, though yet to sing the national anthem himself, enjoyed the rendition of “Wonderwall” after the Croatia victory. “It was a beautiful moment and it meant a lot to all of us,” he said. “It is an iconic song and easy enough for everyone to sing. Hopefully it becomes an anthem because that is exactly what a tournament like this is for — for the connection between fans and the team.”