England's knockout clash with DR Congo presents manager Tuchel with his first real test

A spotless qualifying campaign was then followed by finishing top of Group L at the World Cup despite an underwhelming 0-0 against Ghana in a rainy Boston.

But reaching the knockout stages is not even on the FA’s radar when it comes to goals at a World Cup, there is an expectation to make a deep run, reach the final and end what feels like never-ending years of hurt.

As a Round of 32 clash with DR Congo comes into view, Tuchel is about to embark on his real test and learn exactly what it’s like to be the manager of England.

Justifying squad selection in injury crisis

Throughout his tenure, Tuchel has not been afraid to make left-field selections when it comes to his squads, and eyebrows were raised with the lack of outright fullbacks.

Reece James is the German’s preferred choice on the right, with Nico O’Reilly on the left, but Tuchel is under fire with an injury crisis which could come back to haunt his player selections.

James has suffered yet another hamstring injury, and with Tino Livramento injured before the World Cup got underway, there is little to no depth.

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Djed Spence, Jarrell Quansah or even Ezri Konsa could play right back when needed, but they are not options which fill you with confidence, and this is made all the worse by a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold watching from afar.

There was a time when Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate was mocked for taking what looked like an endless list of right backs, but suddenly this has vanished, and Tuchel must now show the critics that he did indeed make the right choices for a squad hit with an injury crisis.

How does Tuchel cope with the increasing pressure in each knockout match 

England are often in the fortunate position, due to their high FIFA ranking, of not facing any serious threats until the major tournaments.

This means media engagements for Tuchel so far have not been too tense. He may have made the odd eyebrow-raising comment, such as criticising England fans in the team’s friendly win against Wales, but he is yet to feel the full wrath of a press pack which will not pull any punches.

With England now in the knockout stages, every move will be under even more scrutiny, from team selection to how Tuchel conducts himself in front of the media.

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It should not be something that fazes him. Tuchel has taken charge of some of football’s biggest teams such as Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich, but having millions upon millions of people ready to voice their anger at the drop of a hat if England struggles is a different type of pressure.

England are expected to beat DR Congo in Atlanta, and if the knockout journey continues, then the euphoria and belief of the Three Lions winning the World Cup will begin to grow.

It’s up to Tuchel to maintain a sense of calm. If he makes a questionable decision, or a key player gets injured, then he will need to stay composed and reassure everyone that everything is going to plan.

Time for Tuchel to prove England have made the right decision

International football is a strange entity, it may not be as frequent as club football, but it carries possibly greater significance and pressure.

Manager Tuchel is set to get his first taste of this pressure when arriving in Atlanta, but clearly, he is someone who the FA believe can thrive in these surroundings after impressing in a presentation on how England could win the World Cup before being appointed.

While there are some who still question whether making Tuchel manager has been the right decision, it is now up to him to pass his first real test with England and silence those critics, and it all begins on Wednesday against DR Congo.

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