It is 55 minutes into the World Cup semi-final in July. England are leading Argentina 1-0, the moment is enormous — and then, slowly, inevitably, it slips away. Argentina win with two late goals. England barely touch the ball in the final half-hour.

That image, of a team running on empty in the highest-pressure moment of their tournament, is the problem Thomas Tuchel is now wrestling with out loud. Tuchel is not shy about the tension inside his own thinking. He describes his side as "maybe not the most economical" team in world football — a polite way of saying they burn everything, all the time, and sometimes have nothing left when it matters most. He admits that a lack of control is "hard to digest" for a coach of his background.

For a few minutes, he said, he would love England to "become more like Spain" — composed, ball-dominant, unhurried. The world champions make possession look like a weapon. England, for the most part, make it look optional. But here is where Tuchel stops himself.