ENGLAND'S HAPPY TU YEAR

Thomas officially starts as Three Lions boss today. He has 18 months to turn near misses into World Cup glory

- JOHN CROSS

THOMAS TUCHEL finally begins his journey to the World Cup today as he officially takes charge of England.

And his mission is quite simple - to turn England into world champions. Achieving it is the really difficult part.

Tuchel inherits a Three Lions team fourth in the FIFA world rankings and who have been consistent challengers at major tournaments.

World Cup semi-finalists in 2018, they have also reached back-to-back finals in the European Championship, so the leap does not have to be that great.

But Tuchel's task is to get England over the line, to turn them from the nearly men of Gareth Southgate's reign into winners.

That means bringing a new tactical approach, getting a balanced, settled team and potentially rebuilding an ageing defence.