Thomas Tuchel claimed you could bottle up England's mentality and sell it. What you could not sell was their big‑game reliability. After the 2‑1 win over Norway, Tuchel was highly critical of England’s performance, and the desperate late collapse that saw England lose to Argentina in the semi‑final raised familiar questions about a string of near misses. England can add this bitter disappointment to successive Euro final losses and the 2018 World Cup semi‑final defeat by Croatia, giving weight to the argument they will always be a "nearly" team. Effort, spirit and the knack of producing big moments are commendable but will only take you so far – in England’s case, not far enough. The world‑class quality of captain Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who together scored 12 of 14 goals, was the campaign’s bright spot. Yet Tuchelтәыла’s squad lacked the ability to control possession; the 12% possession in the semi‑final against Argentina highlighted this shortfall. England’s Premier League template, built on a back four, Rice and Anderson in midfield, and Bellingham at 10, proved insufficient at elite level, leaving the team without the X‑factor needed to win big games.

England’s record against elite teams when the heat is on hints at weakness, either on the pitch or in the technical areas. The concern for the FA is that, after trying everything, England still lacks the quality to convert moments into victories. Tuchel’s pragmatic squad reached the semi‑finals but par does not win big prizes. The team must find something different if it is to move beyond the "nearly" label.