England ended the latest UEFA Nations League international break with three consecutive wins, three clean sheets and 12 goals scored.
For Thomas Tuchel, though, the bigger development is not the number of goals. It is how quickly England have responded to their opening defeat to Spain.
The Three Lions were beaten 3-2 by the world champions in their opening Group A3 fixture, leaving questions about whether Tuchel’s side could compete with the strongest teams in Europe. Four games later, those questions have not disappeared completely, but England have given themselves a much stronger platform heading into November.
The Nations League Round 4 victory over Czechia was another comfortable result, but it was the performances against Croatia and Czechia away from home that arguably tell us more about England’s progress.
What Nations League Round 4 Revealed About England
England’s 3-0 victory over Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday, October 6, completed an excellent Nations League Round 4 for Tuchel’s side.
Harry Kane was again at the centre of the action, matching Peter Shilton’s England record with his 125th cap and scoring twice.
However, the bigger story is the way England have responded since the defeat to Spain.
The Nations League Round 4 result followed a 2-0 win over Czechia and a remarkable 7-0 victory against Croatia. Across those three matches, England scored 12 times without conceding.
That is a significant improvement from the opening night against Spain, when England scored twice but conceded three goals and struggled to control the game for long periods.
Tuchel has spoken about the need to move forward from the 2026 World Cup, and the Nations League Round 4 results suggest his players have taken that message on board.
England are not simply winning games. They are doing so with greater authority.
That does not mean the problems exposed by Spain have disappeared. Czechia and Croatia provided very different tests from the world champions, and England will eventually have to prove that they can produce the same level of control against the best sides.
That is where the November international break becomes particularly important.
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What the UEFA Nations League Has Revealed
The most interesting part of England’s campaign so far is the contrast between the Spain defeat and everything that has followed.
Spain remain top of Group A3 with 12 points after beating Croatia 2-1 in Split, while England sit second on nine points. The result in Croatia also confirmed Spain’s place in the quarter-finals.
England, meanwhile, have effectively put themselves in a strong position to join them.
The Nations League Round 4 victory over Czechia means England are six points clear of Croatia, who have just three points from their four games. With two matches remaining, Tuchel’s side need only one point from their final two fixtures to guarantee a top-two finish.
That makes the November international break less about avoiding a disastrous collapse and more about determining how far England can go.
The next Nations League Round 5 fixture is against Croatia at Wembley on November 12. Three days later, England travel to Madrid to face Spain in the final group game.
Those are two completely different challenges.
Croatia have already suffered a 7-0 defeat against England, but their 2-1 loss to Spain means they now need results quickly if they are to stay in contention. England should therefore expect a more determined side at Wembley during the Nations League Round 5 fixture.
Spain is the bigger test.
England lost 3-2 when the teams met at Wembley in September, but the Three Lions have changed considerably since then. A strong performance in Madrid during the final game of the November international break would provide a much better indication of whether Tuchel’s team are ready to compete with Europe’s strongest sides.
The November Test Is Different
The Nations League Round 5 meeting with Croatia gives England an opportunity to secure their quarter-final place. More importantly, it gives Tuchel another chance to see how his team handles expectation.
England will be expected to win after the 7-0 result in Croatia, but that does not necessarily make the game straightforward. Croatia are an experienced international side, and they will have plenty of motivation to respond after a difficult October.
The November international break will also test England’s ability to maintain their attacking momentum.
Kane has continued to deliver, while England have found goals from several areas of the pitch during the current campaign. The 7-0 win over Croatia showed what this team can produce when everything clicks, while the three goals against Czechia at Wembley demonstrated that they can also control a game without needing to reach the same level of attacking intensity.
That balance could prove important in the knockout stages.
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Extra Time Notes
The Nations League Round 4 campaign has given England plenty of reasons to be positive, but it should not completely erase the lessons from the defeat to Spain.
Tuchel’s side have responded in exactly the way their manager would have wanted, turning a difficult start into a run of three consecutive wins.
The November international break will now determine whether that improvement is temporary or the beginning of something more significant.
England should reach the quarter-finals, and the Nations League Round 5 clash with Croatia could confirm that before the trip to Spain.
But the final two games are about more than qualification. If England can beat Croatia and then produce a convincing performance against Spain, Tuchel will have much stronger evidence that his team can challenge the best sides when the UEFA Nations League moves into its knockout stage.
For now, England have momentum. The next challenge is proving that they can keep it.
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