England just crushed a warm-up game and my optimism is officially dangerous

If you were expecting a cagey, boring friendly to wrap up the preparations for the big tournament, England clearly didn't get the memo yesterday. They rolled into their final warm-up and dismantled their opposition with clinical, borderline disrespectful efficiency, ending the day with a 6-0 victory. It is the kind of scoreline that makes the rest of the competition look at their scout reports and start sweating bullets.

The headline story, naturally, belongs to Ivan Toney. He didn't just show up; he dragged the game by the throat, securing a proper hat-trick. We have spent years whining about England’s lack of a reliable clinical edge, yet here Toney was, turning a friendly into a private shooting gallery. As Sky Sports reported, his ability to finish from tight angles looks like something out of a video game on easy mode.

Tuchel is betting the house on Anderson

The real shift under Thomas Tuchel isn't just the goal tally; it is the tactical identity. Tuchel recently went on the record calling Anderson the full package, and after watching the rotation and the press yesterday, it makes sense. He isn't interested in the mid-table safety of the previous era. He wants a team that creates chaos in the final third.

Anderson played like he had a point to prove to a manager who is notoriously difficult to please. It is refreshing to see a Three Lions squad actually looking for the throat rather than passing sideways until everyone falls asleep. The intensity in the press was suffocating, and frankly, some of the defensive transitions looked tighter than they have in years.

The shadows behind the sunshine

Let's pump the brakes for a split second before we hand them the trophy. It was a 6-0 win, sure, which is great for the mood at the pub, but let’s be real about the level of the opposition. We have seen England thrash lesser teams before, only to get completely neutralized the moment they face a disciplined backline that knows how to hold a compact 4-4-2.

There is also the matter of defensive lapses. Even with six goals on the board, there were two moments in the 22nd minute and the 58th minute where the back line was caught looking at the horizon while the opposition nearly slipped through on the counter. If they pull that kind of lazy positioning against Croatia, the upcoming clash is going to turn into a nightmare very quickly.

Despite my cynicism, you cannot deny the momentum. As detailed in the Metro coverage, the squad depth is looking arguably deeper than any roster since the turn of the century. Toney’s hat-trick isn't just a stat line; it is a direct message to every other manager in the tournament that the bench is just as dangerous as the starting XI.

Tuchel clearly believes this is the path forward. He has stripped away the tactical bloat and turned the squad into a high-octane engine. Whether that engine blows a gasket under the pressure of real tournament stakes is the big question. For now, it’s fun. It’s loud. And for the first time in a while, it feels like they actually have a plan that doesn't involve hoping for individual brilliance to bail them out.