It is four months, almost to the day, since England shrank from the call of history and lost their World Cup semi-final to Argentina in Atlanta but Thomas Tuchel may not believe that the Nations League tie against Spain in the Metropolitano on Sunday evening represents his best shot at redemption for the way things played out that afternoon in America’s South.

That is largely because Tuchel does not appear to believe he has anything to redeem himself for. The manner of his side’s capitulation - and the substitutions he made - in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium last July enraged the nation, but Tuchel said the fault was in the damned DNA of the English, that we were underlings, and that our players found it constitutionally impossible to keep hold of the ball.

Whatever Tuchel thinks, the fact remains that the tie against Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal and the rest of the world champions at the home of Atletico Madrid offers Tuchel and his players the opportunity to encourage themselves and their fans that they are not destined to be also-rans wired to fall at the final hurdle for evermore.

Spain are formidable opposition. They are on a record-breaking run of 43 matches unbeaten and have won their last 12 in succession. They haven't drawn a game since their June 15 game against Cape Verde in the World Cup. Their last defeat was on March 22, 2024, when they lost 1-0 to Colombia in a friendly. Some ask whether they are the best international side the world has ever seen.

‘Spain seem unbeatable,’ Tuchel said, when he walked into the press room at the Metropolitano on Saturday night and heard hymns of praise being lavished upon the opponents he is about to face.

‘They have a very strong identity and a very strong mentality. We are trying to take it away from them. We are up for it. We are up for the fight. We are up for a spectacular match. We can see how far we can push the limits with the world champions in Madrid. The group is full of self-belief and rightly so.’

This may be the toughest game that Tuchel’s England side play until the European Championships in 2028, where the final will be contested at Wembley, and they will play all their games at home. They need to go into that tournament with the belief that they can beat the best when the pressure is at its highest.

Beating Spain away in the final game of the group phase of the Nations League is not quite the same as a critical match at a major tournament but it is as stiff a challenge as Tuchel is going to face until then. Beating Croatia 7-0 in front of gangs of schoolkids in Rijeka last month was hailed as the best England performance of the Tuchel era. Which says it all, really.

It was a great performance in a relatively meaningless match. Now it is time for him to show that he can marshal an England side to succeed against the very best, not fall apart when the prize is in sight. His protestations of powerlessness in the aftermath of the Argentina defeat were not a good look for a coach who was hired with the idea that his coaching prowess and his game management could get England over the line.

Has he learned anything from the manner of the Argentina defeat? ‘This game against Spain will be proof of concept at the highest level,’ he said, ‘but we are up for it. I think we have taken the next step after the World Cup. The best thing is to trust our process and trust ourselves. We need to be clear about how we want to impose ourselves and I think that is all visible.’

Now it is time for him to show that he can find a way past the limitations of England’s footballing DNA, find a way to compete with Spain and France when it really matters, and find a way to end the culture of near misses that has come to be England’s lot in the last decade of appearances in semi-finals and finals.

England have played six matches since that day of crushing disappointment in Atlanta and scored 22 goals. But in the only one of those matches that really mattered, they lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley in the opening tie of their Nations League campaign at the end of September, a game in which they were largely outclassed by Luis de la Fuente’s team.

Spain are what England have to aim for. Tuchel mentioned their example and their ability and their mindset straight after the semi-final loss to Argentina. ‘Ball possession plays a crucial role,’ he said at his post-match press conference in Atlanta. ‘It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian-Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball.’

The England coach said more recently that England need to go back to trusting a traditional style that emphasises direct, high-intensity physicality rather than trying to copy Spanish patience in ball-retention. England, though, were taught a lesson in sophistication by the Spanish in September.

And for all the attention lavished on Yamal, Spain’s defence is the best in the world. Rodri, the shield for that defence and also the world’s best in the role, is not fit for this game but even without him, Spain’s back-line inspires an awful lot more confidence than England’s.

‘They were the best in the World Cup at the back,’ Declan Rice, England’s central midfielder, said on Saturday. ‘Defence wins you titles. Everyone talks about their attacking talent but you look at their central defenders, their full backs and the way their midfielders contribute to the defence, too.’

That defence will have to stop England’s resurgent front line, led by Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, who could be flanked by Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers and backed up by the supreme talent of Jude Bellingham just behind them.

Bellingham’s improving relationship with Tuchel, which cannot have been harmed by the inclusion of Bellingham’s brother, Jobe, in this squad, is another reason to hope that England still retain the capacity to improve after the World Cup. The elder Bellingham has become England’s most influential player.

England at their best would be one of the few teams capable of extending them. Rice said on Saturday that the game between the two sides was ‘massive’. England need to prove they can find a way to get closer to the world champions. To beat them, Rice said, would be a ‘massive statement’.

‘Playing against them is a great incentive to win. It will show where we are as a group. We are trying to attack teams full throttle and with players like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in our attack, it feels as if it is going to take off one night and maybe tomorrow night will be the night. We can beat Spain. For sure, we can.’

Tuchel needs to prove England can win, not just be noble contenders. They need to prove that their DNA need not be a curse.