Tuchel has identified the next four Nations League Tier One matches as England’s immediate priority. Rather than treating the competition as a distraction between major tournaments, he sees it as the ideal testing ground for a team that must continue evolving.
“It's very difficult to prepare for a World Cup in the US, but I think it's possible to prepare for a Euros and we prepare in Nations League Tier One,” Tuchel said.
England’s World Cup campaign, which included eight wins, one draw and one defeat across 10 matches, has set a demanding benchmark. Tuchel now wants another 10 internationals to help turn that success into a longer-term standard.
The Henderson incident appears to have strengthened Tuchel’s belief that the group is moving in the right direction. Players abandoning the celebrations to protect a stricken team-mate showed the kind of collective instinct managers often seek but cannot manufacture on a training ground.
That connection could prove particularly important as competition for places intensifies. Another report says Alex Scott has withdrawn from the squad after suffering a tendon injury and could miss several weeks, underlining the physical demands of international football and the need for depth.
“I think we got another step closer and I think we're there,” Tuchel said. “I'm very excited.”
England’s next four Nations League fixtures will provide the first serious examination of that optimism. The results will matter, but so will the emerging shape of the squad Tuchel hopes to take into the Euro 2028 cycle.