This was a training game - England & Tuchel now need to get serious
England have one more game to prepare for their World Cup campaign - and they must use it wisely, writes Phil McNulty.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"To put it in context, a lot of our players last played together in November."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"The better the opponent gets, the better we will get."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"I was happier with the second half. I thought we had more hunger and more desire."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"To put it in context, a lot of our players last played together in November."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"The better the opponent gets, the better we will get."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"I was happier with the second half. I thought we had more hunger and more desire."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"To put it in context, a lot of our players last played together in November."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"The better the opponent gets, the better we will get."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"I was happier with the second half. I thought we had more hunger and more desire."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"I'm OK with it. I'm not super happy about it. I liked the second half more than the first half."
— Thomas Tuchel , Athlete
"England were good today, but they need to be better to go and win the World Cup than they were today, even though they won the game."
— Darren Bazeley , Executive
Key People
Bukayo Saka is a professional footballer who represents the England national team.
Darren Bazeley is the head coach of the New Zealand national football team.
Declan Rice is a professional footballer who plays for the England national team.
Dominic Solanke is a professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Harry Kane is a professional footballer and captain of the England national team.
Ivan Toney is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for the England national team.
James Garner is a professional footballer who plays for Everton and the England national team.
Phil Foden is a professional footballer who plays for the England national team.
Thomas Tuchel is the head coach of the England national football team.
Tags
All Coverage
England have one more game to prepare for their World Cup campaign - and they must use it wisely, writes Phil McNulty.
Phil McNulty discusses England's 1-0 win over New Zealand and the need for manager Thomas Tuchel to finalize his World Cup squad ahead of the tournament opener against Croatia on June 17.
Phil McNulty analyzes England's 1-0 victory over New Zealand and emphasizes the importance of manager Thomas Tuchel making decisive squad selections before the World Cup begins.
Thomas Tuchel expresses frustration over England's unstructured play in their 1-0 win against New Zealand, highlighting the need for improvement ahead of the World Cup.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
England embrace the chaos - but control also needed to win big prizes
England embrace the chaos, but superb Spain show it will never win big prizes, says chief football writer Phil McNulty.
September 26, 2026 at 10:39 PMTuchel rues 'big mistakes' - did Man City charges have impact?
England's loss to Spain was decided by uncharacteristic mistakes, with two Man City players making errors - so did club news affect performances for country?
September 26, 2026 at 10:47 PMTime for Tuchel to offer Alexander-Arnold some trust
Having been overlooked for so long, Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a world-class moment on his return, writes Phil McNulty.
September 29, 2026 at 10:06 PMWorld champions Spain punish England errors to win Nations League thriller at Wembley - Reuters
World champions Spain punish England errors to win Nations League thriller at Wembley Reuters
September 26, 2026 at 10:17 PMEngland are learning - these are the World Cup issues they need to solve
Who are England's openers? Which spinner supports Adil Rashid? Which seamers will get the nod when Sam Curran returns?
September 28, 2026 at 05:33 AMWho continues to show how important they are? England player ratings
How the England players rated following their Nations League match.
September 29, 2026 at 08:39 PM