England face Spain in their opening Nations League match on Saturday, a game that carries a bittersweet tone for fans. The match comes three months after England narrowly missed the chance to face Spain in the World Cup final, having lost to Argentina in the semifinals. This would have been a repeat of the 2024 Euros final, which England also lost. Their record against top-10 ranked teams, according to FIFA rankings, has been inconsistent, with only six wins in the past 15 matches. Three of those wins were at major tournaments, including the Euros semifinals in 2021 and 2024, and a bronze-medal match against France at this summer's World Cup. The victory over France was Thomas Tuchel's first win as England manager against a top-10 opponent, and his first win over a top-20 team came in the opening group game of the World Cup against Croatia. Despite these wins, England’s record against elite opposition remains a concern. In the past 15 games against top-10 teams, they have only managed six victories, and two of those wins were in Euro qualifying matches against a declining Italy side. The 2002 group stage win against Argentina is their only victory in the past 10 World Cup games against top-10 teams. When facing the defending world champions, England have lost all four times. This includes matches against Uruguay in 1954, Brazil in 1962, France in 2022, and Argentina in 2026. At the Euros, England has overcome top-10 teams to reach the final in the past two tournaments but fell short against Spain in 2024 and Italy in 2020. Harry Kane, England’s all-time top scorer with 85 goals, was asked about what was missing to secure a major tournament win. He suggested that England need to remain true to themselves in the biggest moments. "The Argentina game was so hard to take, because we had a mindset of going to win the tournament, win in our way and our style," he said. Kane emphasized that England should not fear any team and should focus on maintaining their identity. He cited his experience at Bayern Munich, where the team's identity remained consistent, and said that England should adopt a similar approach. Despite improving over the years, England still struggles to dominate possession and beat elite teams. Their 2020 Euro win over Germany was a significant step forward, but they were later defeated by Italy in the final after losing possession. At the 2022 World Cup, England started strongly with a 6-2 win over Iran but were eliminated by France due to a missed penalty by Kane. At the 2024 Euros, England reached the semifinals but failed to perform at their best. With a strong qualifying campaign and a new coach in Tuchel, expectations were high, but the same issues resurfaced. Tuchel has suggested that he may need to embrace the chaos, while Anthony Gordon believes England should rely on their traditional direct style to finally end their long wait for a major trophy.