On the day Thomas Tuchel named his England World Cup squad, he made a passing comment that has come to fruition.As England dug in to beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday night, having been a player down for most of the second half following Jarell Quansah’s red card, Tuchel turned to his substitutes’ bench — and got every single change right.More pertinently, their performances — whether it was Dan Burn throwing himself in front of every Mexico cross and shot, or John Stones’ experience proving vital in the final 25 minutes — added meaning to the words Tuchel uttered on May 22.The England head coach referenced a “speciality team”, which he then qualified as a “special operations team”.At the time, Tuchel was responding to a question about Ivan Toney’s call up, but in the same answer he spoke about several other players and positions and why they will all have an important part to play during the tournament.Against Croatia, DR Congo and Mexico, Tuchel saw the “special operations team” come to life, with his second-half changes proving decisive.Ivan Toney is part of Tuchel’s ‘special operations team’ (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)But Tuchel’s reliance on the 15 players not starting is not limited to what they offer the team off the bench; it also extends to how they behave in training and the dressing room.He has previously emphasised the need for excellent characters, noting they could be away from home for up to seven weeks if they were to reach the World Cup final.It was also something he mentioned about Toney, who is yet to feature at the World Cup, on the day he announced his squad.“Ivan is, in this case, part of a specialty team, as part of a special operations team,” Tuchel said. “He knows that, and that’s his role, and off the pitch, he is a glue. He is someone who connects with everyone very, very well.”If England are to at least have a strong chance of winning the World Cup, Tuchel knows it will require more than just the starting XI.Minus the world-class performances from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham throughout the group stage and early knockout rounds, England would surely have been out of the tournament already.