Glen Johnson: England need to find killer instinct under Thomas Tuchel | OneFootball

Johnson gave his thoughts on the Virgil van Dijk’s future, Liverpool’s trophy haul and Cole Palmer’s poor form for Chelsea.

He also spoke about Thomas Tuchel’s first international break as England manager and what he’d like to see changed in the Three Lions.

Jamie Carragher called Sunday’s League Cup final defeat “one of the worst performances” he’s seen from Liverpool in a cup final. What did you make of the performance?

Yeah, you have to agree with Carra. On Liverpool’s day, they’re good enough to beat anyone, but that definitely wasn’t their day. But I think the more concerning part was the mannerism of it. On the flip side, as bad as Liverpool were, Newcastle were very good. And I think that made Liverpool look worse, because Newcastle were more up for it. They were fighting together, they were pressurising, they were the first to every second ball.

So when teams do that to you, it doesn’t matter who you are, you can get suffocated. So overall, yes it was very negative from a Liverpool point of view, but it would have been worse if Newcastle weren’t up to that standard and Liverpool performed like that. That would be more concerning.

Liverpool will now end the season with just the Premier League title, after looking in a good position to seal at least three trophies. Will there be any disappointment that it will be just one trophy?

Yes, but only because, like you say, the last two weeks. If they were offered the Premier League title in August they would have bitten your hand off. So it’s only the fact that they got to one final and got into a good position in another tournament, where they’ve only got a couple more games to win, so to speak, to have another medal, then it sounds disappointing and they will be disappointed.

But if they remember what was going on at the start of the season, then winning just the Premier League is going to be a very good season. Fantastic for Arne Slot in his first season. So, no, I think when the dust settles, they’ll be more than happy.

Virgil van Dijk recently said he has no idea about his Liverpool future. How important do you think it is that Liverpool do extend his contract?

The first question is, why has the contract got to where it is? Because if he doesn’t want to be there, then no, they shouldn’t sign him. And I’m not suggesting he doesn’t want to be here. But I mean, there’s a reason why they haven’t come to an agreement so far, and we don’t know if that’s the club not offering him the length he wants etc. But I still think, as a player, they should do their best to keep him, at least for another year. But, like I say, only if the player wants to be there.

Cole Palmer’s form has dropped off recently, why do you think he’s been struggling in front of goal?

Well I just think he set the bar so high. Yes he’s gone off the boil by his standards, but he’s still performing relatively well for someone that’s gone cold. I think maybe it’s just a long season. He was carrying the Chelsea team on his own for bloody months, so that’s going to take its toll. It’s probably just a few things like that.

It’s been a long season, he has been carrying the weight of everybody. And now the team around him are performing a bit better, he’s gone a little bit cold. But he will bounce back. You don’t become a bad player overnight.

Despite their defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea are still in the top four of the Premier League. Do you think they have what it takes to stay in the top four — or five — and secure Champions League football?

Yeah I do. They’ve been a bit hot and cold overall, but they are still sat where they are in the league. Most teams around them have been inconsistent. So I can see them having more class going into these last few games, because they probably need two or three more wins. That would probably get the job done. So I do think they’re going to have the ability to stay where they are.

Thomas Tuchel takes charge of England for the first time on Friday. How do you think he will do as England manager?

I’m looking forward to it. Obviously it’s a lot of change for everybody in terms of the squad list, the coaching staff. There’s a lot going on, so it’s hard to predict right now. But he’s almost got a clean slate, and it’s a little bit difficult because obviously the team have been performing well, or competing, should I say, in tournaments by getting into semis and finals.

So it’s going to be hard to match that. But he’s a world-class manager and we’ve got some fantastic players, and now some fantastic young players. So if we can use that and get some of these players kicking on for the next few months, then things look good.

Is there anything that you’re hoping Tuchel will do differently that could get England over the line in major tournaments?

The lads need to have the fighting edge, the killer instinct. I think what’s let us down in previous tournaments is that everyone’s just so nice. I’m not saying you run around booting people and stuff like that, but there are times where you have to make a cynical foul, you have to fight with each other, you have to get under the opponent’s skin. You can’t win every single football match by playing nice football. When we played the top teams, they weren’t better than us, but they just knew how to win. So I think if we can get that characteristic to change, I think we’ve got a big chance.

Reece James is back in the England squad. Do you think he has the capability to compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold long-term for the starting right-back role under Tuchel?

Definitely, as long as he stays fit, absolutely. I’ve mentioned before, we’ve got two great right-backs who can both play in different positions. So it’s good that they can keep each other going. And as a manager, that’s music to Tuchel’s ears. It’s just not to the two lads that are going to be missing out on football matches when somebody else is playing. But as a manager, it’s a good problem to have.

Were there any surprise omissions for you in Tuchel’s squad? Or players you think will be knocking on the door soon?

To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to it, because you just knew there were going to be endless changes. And I can see the squad after this being completely different as well. As a new manager, especially in an international role, he’s going to want to see as many players as possible.

So no, to be honest when the list first came out, I didn’t really look at it. Because, like I say, there’ll probably be 30% change in the next squad. I think it’s great for a lot of the youngsters to be seen and called up. And hopefully we can find a gem that’s ready to kick on sooner rather than later in that list. And there’ll probably be six changes in the next squad. So I think Tuchel’s got time to find what he needs, because obviously these young players are going to need time as well.