Hyperbole runs wild again as England qualify for the World Cup

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Football Today

·15 October 2025

Hyperbole runs wild again as England qualify for the World Cup

England qualified for their eighth consecutive World Cup courtesy of a 5-0 victory over Latvia last night.

The result triggered the usual hyperbolic nonsense about the Three Lions having a genuine chance of winning the tournament next summer.

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Manager Thomas Tuchel’s focus on ‘spirit’ and ‘team-building’ appears to have made plenty of people giddy about England’s chances.

The problem with that mindset is that we’ve been here before on numerous occasions. Let’s break things down, starting with England’s qualifying group.

Serbia – the so-called ‘next best team in the group’ – are ranked 34th in the world. You have to go a long way down the list to find Albania, Latvia and Andorra.

England have done what they were meant to do. However, it will be a different ball game when they face the top teams next summer.

Qualifying for the tournament was the easy part. The hard work for Tuchel starts now, and he has a lot of issues to resolve, starting with Jude Bellingham.

Leaving him out of the latest squad raised plenty of eyebrows. His previous comments about his mother finding Bellingham’s behaviour ‘repulsive’ didn’t help matters.

Tuchel has a penchant for falling out with players. This is a luxury he cannot afford with England if he wants to win the World Cup.

How this particular situation unfolds could have a significant bearing on the Three Lions’ chances of emerging victorious next summer.

Several other questions abound. What happens if Harry Kane is injured? Where does Cole Palmer fit in? Can John Stones stay off the treatment table?

And then there’s the sizeable elephant in the room – Jordan Henderson. Apparently, Tuchel likes what he brings to the dressing room.

If that’s the case, add him to the coaching staff and don’t waste a squad position on a player who is not good enough to be selected on merit.

England have plenty of players who can do what Henderson does. By contrast, they haven’t got many who possess Adam Wharton’s ball-playing talent.

When the World Cup reaches the latter stages, England will need players who can unlock top-class defences.

Henderson does not fit that criteria. Wharton does. That is one of numerous decisions which could make-or-break Tuchel’s chances of winning the World Cup with England.