Thomas Tuchel’s ability to alter England’s approach from one match to the next has been identified as one of the team’s defining strengths at the 2026 World Cup.
Portuguese coach João Janeiro believes the England manager has become difficult for opponents to read because his side rarely approaches two games in exactly the same way.
“Thomas Tuchel is a difficult coach to decipher,” Janeiro said, according to A BOLA TV.
The comment was made during A BOLA’s recurring “The good, the bad and the Gingão” segment, in which Janeiro selected the German as his standout figure.
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England keep opponents guessing
Janeiro’s assessment focused on Tuchel’s willingness to adjust his team rather than committing to a single tactical formula throughout the tournament.
“England present themselves differently in every match,” Janeiro said in a separate A BOLA TV analysis.
England have changed both personnel and their method of attacking depending on the opponent, making it more difficult to predict their formation, pressing structure and use of possession.
Tuchel has also been prepared to make changes during matches when England have struggled to establish control. That flexibility has not always produced fluent football, but it has helped the team find different ways to progress through the tournament.
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The approach was again tested in the quarter-final against Norway, when England came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory and advance to the final four.
Tuchel demands another step
England now face Argentina in their World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, with Spain awaiting the winner in Sunday’s final.
Tuchel has made it clear that reaching the semi-finals is not enough for a squad attempting to deliver England’s first men’s World Cup title since 1966.
“We want to take the next step,” Tuchel said, as quoted by England Football.
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“I like the switch of energy in our camp. I feel the players are very excited. I feel they are very ambitious for this semi-final.
“No one is satisfied, and that is exactly the right mixture to have the performance that we need.”
Tuchel also described the meeting with Argentina as an emotional contest likely to contain several shifts in momentum.
England’s ability to adjust when those moments arrive could prove decisive. For Janeiro, that unpredictability is precisely what makes Tuchel so difficult to understand, and England so challenging to prepare for.
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