For more than 40 years, it has been in the last few weeks before the biggest test that the pressure starts to tell. Even if Tuchel is not the latest ­victim, it suggests he is crossing his fingers and relying on the ­footballing gods to deliver his best XI, fit and well, for the entire tournament. Not to mention the frantic and doomed last-gasp efforts to ­persuade Paul Scholes out of a six-year international retirement. And Phil Foden has barely been a bit-part player for Manchester City in recent weeks, with John Stones even less involved. RECOMMENDED STORIESYet this, as it always is, is when the mettle of an international manager is actually tested.

Source: The Times March 24, 2026 00:49 UTC