If England defend this poorly against stronger opponents, the reaction will be far less forgiving.
The notion of elite strikers facing the kind of ragged back line seen in Dallas—especially before the interval—will alarm Tuchel, who will know it was nowhere near the required standard.
Picking Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was controversial, and the debate will rumble on after the Aston Villa man failed to make a convincing case to keep his spot.
Tuchel’s displeasure was obvious as slack defending let the ever-threatening Croatia back into it after England twice went ahead through captain Kane, who matched Gary Lineker’s World Cup mark of 10 goals for his country.
Whatever Tuchel said at the break—unlikely to have been gentle—ignited a superb attacking response, with Jude Bellingham restoring England’s lead moments after the restart.
Croatia were then forced back under relentless pressure, particularly during a dominant spell midway through the half, which they survived until Marcus Rashford sealed the result late on.
Tuchel faced difficult choices given his options, but choosing Bellingham over Morgan Rogers—a call he admitted was incredibly tight—and managing Bukayo Saka’s workload by starting Noni Madueke proved effective.
Bellingham drove England forward with powerful surges from midfield, highlighted by his goal as he sped past Mario Pasalic and beat Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic.
That was the game’s turning point: England—late out for the second half and clearly sparked by Tuchel’s words—immediately played with greater urgency and intent after regaining both the lead and the initiative.