It was not a night when Thomas Tuchel’s England set the pulses racing. The new head coach had talked about the need for cut and thrust, for excitement and positivity; to ignite something on the long road to what he and the rest of the country hope will be World Cup glory next year. Instead, it was supplanted by more prosaic values – shape and professionalism; hard work, especially without the ball.
There was, however, the basic ingredient of a victory on Tuchel’s grand opening night, however flat the occasion might have felt for long spells.
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