Thomas Tuchel has warned that England's World Cup preparations must start now with only 60 days together before the finals begin next summer.
Tuchel named his first 26-man squad on Friday, with surprise call-ups for Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn while Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly was also included.
England's qualification campaign begins later this month with a Wembley double-header against Albania and Latvia as Tuchel aims to end a 60-year wait for a major trophy. Tuchel's permanent predecessor, Gareth Southgate, guided England to back-to-back Euros finals either side of a World Cup semifinal in 2018 and a quarterfinal showing in Qatar four years later.
When asked how much he needed to change, Tuchel said: "I don't think a lot is missing. Obviously it is missing a little bit because [England] are consecutively in semifinals and finals and the feeling is it is just a little step to bring it over the line.
"I am very convinced that if we want to be prepared to be in the next final and make the last step, we need to do it now in the first camp. As boring as it may sound for you, if you go on a journey, it starts with the first step. This journey starts clearly with the first camp.
"We only have six camps, we only have 60 days. We need to take care of every single day and make sure we are on point. If we do this, hopefully the last step takes care of itself. We need a bit of luck, we need the momentum.
"We cannot plan to win the World Cup. It is not possible and I am the first one who does not like it but it is like this. The playing style is just one piece of the puzzle. It has to suit the players, it has to suit the values of the league the majority play in and this is what we will try to do."
Tuchel revealed that Harry Kane will remain as England captain and hinted at key leadership roles for Ajax captain Henderson, whose last cap came in November 2023, and potentially even Burn, who has never been capped.
"I truly believe Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson have every chance to be with us in the World Cup," Tuchel said. "Football in general but maybe even more international football is about team spirit. It is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, the nation and the country. It is about building a brotherhood. We cannot only do this with young players or senior players, it has to be a good balance.
"We will inject a little bit of club football into preparations for going into international football. It starts maybe with the language, maybe with the coaching so we are used to that and we will try to do it.
"I think we need to increase the rhythm and intensity compared to our last matches. This is where our focus is and hopefully it is exciting watching and it will have the effect we wish for."
Tuchel also confirmed that Ben White has made himself available for selection again after declining a call-up under Southgate. White left the England camp during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was not involved thereafter. Sources have told ESPN there was a disagreement between White and Southgate's staff, although Southgate publicly denied any issue.
Asked if White's omission was due to the Arsenal defender refusing a call-up again, Tuchel said: "Absolutely not. He loves to be back in the squad, I just think it's a bit too early now for him given the seriousness of the injury that he had.
"I'm delighted that he's back, he's back now in back-to-back trainings, so we were monitoring the process.
"Huge compliments to the medical and performance department of the FA, and thanks to everyone at Arsenal for letting us monitor closely.
"So, we're on it, I'm speaking to him, I was speaking to him at the Champions League match now.
"I think now it's just a question about getting more minutes, getting more rhythm, and then he has every chance to be back, and he wants to be back, and is glad to be back."