England open against Croatia as Tuchel's World Cup begins

England vs Croatia kicks off the Tuchel era

It starts Wednesday at 22:00 CEST. England face Croatia in the Group L opener, your first World Cup match under Thomas Tuchel (1). Luka Modrić stands on the other side. The stakes are clear, only Spain and France entered this tournament with shorter odds than England.

Tuchel walks in under pressure

The new manager has not even named a lineup and the scrutiny is already on. German outlet t-online reports Tuchel starts the tournament under pressure, with controversial decisions around the squad already being questioned (2). He also has history with referee Clement Turpin, whom he once called a "Grade E" official during his Bayern Munich days.

Joe Hart: belief is 'through the roof'

Joe Hart is not holding back. The former England goalkeeper says the positivity inside the camp is "through the roof" and urged fans to "dare to dream" (3). That matches what John Stones has said about the transformation since 2018.

PSG pair stunned by Lewis-Skelly omission

Two PSG players were shocked that Myles Lewis-Skelly did not make the England World Cup squad (5). The Arsenal left-back was left out by Tuchel, and the reaction from his club opponents suggests it raised eyebrows beyond England.

Owen's radical plan: sub off your stars at half-time

Michael Owen has a wild idea. He says England should substitute Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford at half-time, all three of them, to manage the heat and deploy fresh legs for the second 45 minutes (6). The tournament allows expanded substitutes, and Owen sees it as a way to weaponize England's depth.

Fan-reaktioner

The mood on r/soccer is a mix of gallows humour and stubborn hope. One fan's deep-dive preview sums up 60 years of hurt and the familiar pre-tournament ritual: talking yourself into believing. The thread leans into the absurdity of the wait but lands on something genuine, this squad, on paper, can actually do it. Read the full preview here.