Why are England wasting time waiting for Tuchel?

Winning the World Cup is the aim, so the new boss should start now

The November international break is already widely resented by fans as one disruption too many to the first half of the Premier League season and this month's camp is likely to rankle more than usual. The FA's strange decision to allow incoming head coach Thomas Tuchel to start work in January, with interim Lee Carsley in charge for Thursday's game against Greece and Ireland's visit to Wembley on Sunday, has left the Nations League double-header as a farce.

Presumably sensing that this was a good camp to miss, eight players pulled out of Carsley's squad on Monday, including Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester City pair Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, and Chelsea duo Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer. It is the most withdrawals from a squad for years, more than the six players who pulled out under Gareth Southgate this time last year in the only comparable situation in recent memory.