Thomas Tuchel avoided certain sack against Congo as England future revealed | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel would almost certainly have been sacked had England lost to DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32, as his future beyond the tournament has now been revealed.

Tuchel’s England were 15 minutes away from losing against Congo. It would have been one of, if not the worst, World Cup defeat ever suffered by a Three Lions team.

Had that happened, The Telegraph reports Tuchel would have almost certainly been given the boot. The German boss was brought in to replace Gareth Southgate essentially with World Cup glory in mind, so a round of 32 loss against a nation who have only ever won one World Cup game would have been catastrophic.

But as it was, captain Harry Kane saved the boss and his England side, netting a brace to send them through to the round of 16, where co-hosts Mexico await – likely a few hours earlier than billed – and Tuchel’s future now seems less in question.

The report states he should now be safe from the sack no matter what happens at the Azteca.

It’s believed that unless a disastrous result befalls England, the FA plans to keep Tuchel at the helm, taking into account the difficulty of the draw.

Mexico are the 10th best side in the world per the FIFA rankings, so a defeat would not be a major shock, while beyond that, there are some very good sides, and the likes of Argentina and France – who could be the semi-final and final opponents if England get there – would be very tough tasks.

The FA’s decision will also be influenced by the mood in the camp, and that is currently believed to be very positive.

Tuchel could have more to pick from v Mexico

Tuchel was without both Jarell Quansah and Reece James in the last game, meaning Djed Spence had to start at right-back as the only available option.

Both players are on the road to full fitness, though, per Tuchel.

He said: “They are getting close. They are getting closer and closer. I saw them on the pitch.

“In the nature of their injury, Jarell is a little bit ahead of Reecey. But the race was close even to make it into the match squad this time, so we need to make sure that we have more matches.

“That is the main focus and then they will be available very soon.”

Whether that is for the Mexico clash remains to be seen, but if not, England will be hopeful their stars are back in available for the following round, which would be against either Brazil or Norway.