England 1 Senegal 3 – Tuchel's side fall flat, so is it time to move on from the old guard?

New York Times

a day ago

Four games into his tenure and Thomas Tuchel has made history, albeit not in the manner he would have wished.
England had never before lost to African opposition in 21 matches, but they ended up well beaten in Nottingham. The smiles that the German had hoped to see first-hand were all Senegalese by the end, with Pape Thiaw's side running out comfortable and deserved winners.
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A much-changed England had actually led early on, sharp work from Eberechi Eze and Conor Gallagher presenting Anthony Gordon with a shooting chance. Edouard Mendy could not hold his attempt, with Harry Kane tapping in the rebound. The England captain has scored in all four of Tuchel's games in charge.
Yet the hosts did not build on that momentum. Pape Thiaw's Senegal, who are now unbeaten in 22 matches, were energetic and incisive. Dean Henderson was called upon to make a flurry of saves but was helpless when his Crystal Palace club-mate, Ismaila Sarr, sprinted beyond a dawdling Kyle Walker to convert Nicolas Jackson's hopeful cross.
That was the first time Tuchel's England had conceded, and Habib Diarra might have added another after the interval. Unperturbed, the Strasbourg forward burst into space behind Myles Lewis-Skelly and substitute Morgan Gibbs-White to thrust the visitors ahead.
That at least sparked England into life and another substitute, Jude Bellingham, thought he had salvaged a draw only for his close-range finish to be ruled out after a VAR check for a handball by Levi Colwill in the buildup. Yet Tuchel's team were caught on the counter deep into stoppage time at the end with Cheikh Sabaly adding Senegal's third.
Daniel Sheldon and Rob Tanner dissect the key talking points from the City Ground.
The City Ground has been waiting since 1909 to host an England game, with this seized upon as an opportunity to celebrate some of the truly great players who have worn both the Garibaldi red of Nottingham Forest and the white shirt of England down the years.
Legacy caps were presented to some of those celebrated internationals – Frank Wignall, Ian Storey-Moore, Gary Birtles, Steve Hodge, Neil Webb, Colin Cooper and Steve Stone — while the families of some who are sadly no longer with us – brothers Fred and Frank Forman, Trevor Francis and Larry Lloyd — were also present to accept theirs.
But it was the tribute to a true footballing pioneer, Viv Anderson that was particularly poignant.
Anderson was the first Black player to represent England, making his debut in 1978 in a friendly against Czechoslovakia, and went on to earn 30 caps while winning every major domestic trophy during his glittering career, including two European Cups and the European Super Cup during a decade at Forest.
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The pre-match tifo in the Trent End, organised by the Forza Garibaldi fan group, acknowledged a player that broke down barriers along the way at a time when the game was infected by systemic racism. 'From the streets of Clifton to the grass of Wembley,' it read. 'Our Viv is a pioneer who inspired generation after generation.'
Anderson, watching on here from the stand, always handled himself with grace, intelligence and control during those times, and he played the game with similar attributes. It was also poignant as those present also said goodbye to another trailblazer: Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, who passed away earlier this week.
Rob Tanner
There has been some debate in recent days around whether Jordan Pickford will still be England's first-choice goalkeeper when next year's World Cup gets underway.
It was Dean Henderson's turn to start against Senegal — with the Crystal Palace shot-stopper making only his second appearance since his senior debut in November 2020 — and he was certainly far busier than Pickford was on Saturday.
The 28-year-old was required to make a clearance followed by a save inside the first minute, and his evening did not get much quieter.
He was on hand to deny Nicolas Jackson in the fifth minute, and alert to Ismaila Sarr's header that was on its way into his bottom corner. Left exposed by Walker's error, however, there was little he could do about he Palace team-mate's equaliser from close range before half time. And he would have been infuriated to allow Habib Diarra's shot through his legs as Senegal took a second-half lead.
Given Pickford has never let England down at a major tournament, it would be a bold call for Tuchel to move on from the Everton goalkeeper, but his spot in the team is perhaps not as guaranteed as it once was.
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And you would expect Henderson, not Burnley's James Trafford, to be the one to dislodge him should it come to that.
The former Manchester United player showed enough quality at the City Ground to be a permanent fixture in this England set-up; it remains to be seen if he finds himself stuck behind an immovable object in Pickford.
Dan Sheldon
Tuchel only signed an 18-month contract and he has made it crystal clear that he will make a decision on his future after next year's World Cup. With that short-termism in mind, you can understand his decision to bring back England's old guard — Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker — for the games against Andorra and Senegal.
Harry Maguire and John Stones, two central defenders, did not receive the call-up meaning the band was not totally back together.
But Walker's first-half performance against Senegal, where he was largely at fault for Sarr's equaliser and was unsettled regularly by the Palace forward, and Henderson's ineffective stint in Barcelona on Saturday are perhaps evidence that Tuchel needs to close the page on the past and look to the future — even if he is only sticking around for another year or so.
Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, was happy to let Walker leave for AC Milan in January, and it is time England move on from starting the 35-year-old right-back, especially as there are myriad options in that position: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Tino Livramento to name only three.
The veteran struggled badly here, with Roy Keane particularly scathing of his failure to check Sarr's run at the equaliser. 'If that was a young right-back you'd say he showed a lack of experience, but I think (Walker) has been lazy,' said the Irishman, working as a pundit for ITV. 'He can't be bothered to get back in.
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'I know he's had a difficult few months, but for a vastly experienced player… you can't be making mistakes like that.'
Walker and Henderson were cornerstones of Southgate's England, but even he was starting to look beyond their talents. They are long past their best and if Tuchel is serious about winning the World Cup, it feels unlikely he will do it with either of them in the starting XI, no matter how good they have been for England over the years.
Dan Sheldon
'I see us train with a smile, but not play with a smile,' Tuchel said in the build-up to the Senegal game. 'Then they forget about the shirt and how heavy it is.'
The German hasn't been in the job long but he has quickly twigged what has been a blight on England in the modern era — the dreaded fear factor. So many of his predecessors have also spoken of the weight of expectation that turns players who look like potential world beaters with their clubs into bang average performers after pulling on the Three Lions.
There haven't been too many players who look like they have had smiles on their faces in this international window. But there have been a few exceptions; players who have relished a rare opportunity.
In the laboured but crucial win against Andorra on Saturday it was Noni Madueke who stood out with his freshness and appetite. He plays like a genuine winger who loves to supply.
Against Senegal it was Eberechi Eze who played with a smile on his face, a swagger in his stride and the courage to play his way, with freedom, flicks and an abundance of deft touches.
Local favourite Morgan Gibbs-White also injected some energy and invention when he came on on home turf and seemed to relish his opportunity, linking well with Eze. Tuchel will be hoping the Eze grin in particular will become infectious because, at present, there is precious little else to smile about.
Rob Tanner
Just before the 70th minute, the camera panned to England's bench. The focus was on Noni Madueke as he prepared to come on to replace Bukayo Saka with the home side trailing 2-1.
But the better picture was of Ivan Toney looking somewhat bewildered, arms folded, and probably wondering what on earth he was doing in Nottingham on a Monday night when he could have been on holiday.
Having been called up to the England squad by Tuchel, he failed to emerge off the bench in Spain and was given a pitiful two minutes of normal time to salvage a result against Senegal.
Fresh from his first season in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, where he scored 23 Saudi Pro League goals in 29 starts and helped them win the Asian Champions League, he could be forgiven for thinking there was a good chance he would gain some game time under Tuchel.
Yet, having not been out to Saudi Arabia to watch Toney in the flesh, Tuchel called him up for the June camp to see the former Brentford player in a squad environment. Maybe he did not like what he saw. Or perhaps he felt Kane, who he already knows more than enough about, should definitely start a friendly match against Senegal.
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Either way, Toney's face was a picture — and it summed up what many people are probably thinking: what was the point of bringing him along just to watch him train and reward him with a handful of minutes on the pitch?
Dan Sheldon
We will bring you the England head coach's thoughts as soon as he has finished his post-match media duties.
Saturday, September 6: Andorra (H), World Cup qualifier, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET