Thomas Tuchel remains convinced England can compete with the world’s best, despite once again criticising the approach of his players against Andorra.
The England boss had slammed his players’ “lack of urgency, lack of quality and lack of energy” in the final part of their underwhelming 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Andorra on Saturday and has followed that up by saying the “physical input” from his side was not enough.
That performance was in sharp contrast to the high-quality Nations League games which took place last week, culminating in Portugal’s penalty shoot-out win over Spain in Sunday’s final to clinch the title.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel says he has been open and honest with his players about the much-criticised performance against Andorra and says, after what felt like a pre-season friendly, it is on them to do much better
Tuchel and his players sat down to watch that game and admitted those sides have set the benchmark for his squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
“It was high level in the final,” said Tuchel. “High-quality football. The first 45 minutes were excellent. Then I could see the players get tired and the level drop a little bit.
“Portugal won, congratulations to Roberto [Martinez] and his team. They have another title. We hope to compete for the final four the next time.
Watch Bruno Fernandes deliver the Nations League trophy to Cristiano Ronaldo during Ronaldo’s post-match interviews
“That’s the standard, that’s the benchmark, we will try to hunt that, to reach that and I’m convinced we have everything it takes to match that when we play these teams… even if it didn’t look like that on Saturday between 6pm and 8pm!
“In general, I’m convinced we have what it takes to compete on that level.”
Reflecting on the win over Andorra, he said: “I think there was common sense in the dressing room straight after and on our way back, we had the same feeling we could have done better.
“There are always two sides, when you’re emotional and you don’t like the performance and how we played, we also have to look at the side where we created an xG of four. If we look at other top sides who played Andorra, we created more xG than them but we underperformed in converting chances, in being clinical, in the efficiency, in the accuracy.
“We underperformed clearly in the physical input into the game, which we could see on the sideline and in the data. We ran not enough. I know it’s a deep block to break down, it will always be difficult. But even then, to have the physical input, to have more high intensity runs, counter movements… we were lacking that.
Rob Dorsett looks back at England’s 1-0 victory over Andorra, questioning whether Thomas Tuchel overcomplicated his tactics
“No harm done. We were critical with our performance. If we had the same performance and a 4-0 [win] then everyone would have felt differently. The conclusion: we stay committed to our beliefs, to training. Excellent performance and attitude in training [on Sunday], we watched tennis together and football together. it was a good atmosphere, we’re ready to go again on Tuesday.”
Saka to start vs Senegal with Tuchel to give players “more freedom”
Bukayo Saka reveals that his first impression of Thomas Tuchel is that the new England Manager is ‘demanding and intense’ but a ‘nice guy’.
England have the opportunity to show an immediate improvement on that display against Andorra when they host Senegal in a friendly on Tuesday at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.
Tuchel has confirmed he will make changes to the team – and that Bukayo Saka will start that match for his first appearance under the German. He also hinted captain Harry Kane is likely to be in the XI.
The head coach is also weighing up the possibility of giving players more freedom within his system, even if the team may not appear so attacking to the one which started against Andorra.
“I’m impatient,” he said. “We want to do better. We’re thinking of giving the players a little more freedom within the structure.
“I still think it was a very offensive line-up we tried to break the line down [against Andorra].
“[On Tuesday] we face a more physical and demanding team and maybe from the first look on the paper [the XI will not appear] as offensive as Andorra but [we may] give the players a little bit more freedom to express themselves and hopefully we see the next step straight away on Tuesday.”
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Red Sox’s season is far from over, but their defense, pitching need to find answers soon
The Red Sox’s roller coaster is, for the time being, climbing back uphill.In a tumultuous season defined by chaos, inconsistency and awkward roster fits, Boston’s 11-7 win over the Yankees on Sunday secured the club’s most encouraging series win of the year so far. The Sox pitched poorly against their rivals, surrendering 23 runs over three games, but a locked-in lineup managed to overcome the team’s poor defense and pitching woes.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe galvanizing victory was a prime reminder that this Red Sox club, while immensely flawed, is still incredibly talented. And despite all the drama, the hand-wringing, the underwhelming record, the bad defense, the injured superstar and the underperforming rotation, Boston’s season is far, far from over.Because this team can rake.Even with perennial All-Star Alex Bregman on the injured list and top prospect Roman Anthony wallowing in Triple-A (until his call-up […]
PWHL Expansion Draft live updates: Latest news as Vancouver and Seattle teams build their rosters
Each of the league’s six existing franchises — in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York and Minnesota — were able to initially protect three players from being selected in the draft or signing during the pre-draft window. Only players under contract or team control through 2026 could be protected.Once teams lose two players, either through the signing window or the draft, general managers are permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four.Vancouver and Seattle will each select seven players in the draft from the pool of unprotected players. The draft order has not been announced and will be revealed at the start of the league’s draft broadcast.Throughout the roster-building process, each existing team will lose four players total from their 2024-25 roster. With the signing window now closed, the 14 players taken in the draft will […]
Several World Cup host cities in the U.S. monitoring political situation amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown
The U.S. host cities for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 admitted on Monday they were “monitoring closely” the current political situation in the United States amid rising tensions over President Trump’s crackdown on immigration — but insisted visitors will be made welcome at the tournament.FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino claimed earlier this year that “America will welcome the world” for next year’s tournament, which will be shared across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Infantino said: “America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game will be able to do that.”AdvertisementInfantino has also claimed that FIFA’s tournaments in the U.S., first the Club World Cup in 2025 and then the World Cup next year, will generate almost $50 billion in economic output for the U.S. Foreign travellers are integral […]
Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony: Source
For the second time in the past month, the Boston Red Sox have promoted a top prospect. On Monday, Boston promoted outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu has been placed on the injured list, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.At a time when the team is struggling to stay afloat in the American League East, but coming of a key weekend series win over the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have summoned Anthony, one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, to boost the club.AdvertisementIn 58 Triple-A games, the 21-year-old is hitting .288 with a .914 OPS, 10 homers, nine doubles and two triples along with 51 walks and 56 strikeouts.On Saturday night in Worcester, Anthony crushed a 497-foot grand slam at 115.6 mph. It marked the longest homer at any […]
Craque Neto “seca” Flamengo e Palmeiras ao manifestar torcida pelo Botafogo no Mundial de Clubes
Craque Neto, em discurso no programa Os Donos da Bola (Reprodução) Craque Neto não vai apoiar ferrenhamente por nenhum clube brasileiro presente no Mundial. Sem afinidade com Palmeiras, Flamengo e Fluminense, o ex-jogador quis externar um sentimento positivo apenas em relação ao Botafogo. Porém, como o Glorioso terá que disputar uma vaga nas oitavas de final com PSG e Atlético de Madrid, o título que resultaria em satisfação é bastante complicado. “No formato anterior, era mais fácil chegar na decisão. Chegando na decisão, tinha 50% de possibilidade de alcançar o título. Neste formato, se torna mais difícil pela diferença técnica e dinâmica de jogo da Europa para o nosso continente. Se classificar mudando de fase, já está bom demais. Mas, se acontecer uma zebra, que o nosso continente seja premiado.”, iniciou Oscar Roberto Godói. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Eu não penso assim. […]
2025 U.S. Open predictions, picks: Five trends to identify this year’s winner at Oakmont Country Club
OAKMONT, Pa. -- The third major championship of the season has arrived, and if the 2025 U.S. Open is anything like the first two, one can expect to see the normal candidates atop the leaderboard and a few surprises intertwined. While those tournaments were respectively won by Rory McIlroy (Masters) and Scottie Scheffler (PGA Championship), the first two majors were nearly in the hands of a couple of unusual suspects.At Augusta National, it was Justin Rose who posted the clubhouse lead and narrowly lost in a playoff to McIlroy. While Scheffler scorched the Earth at Quail Hollow, the leaderboard just beneath him included names such as Harris English, Davis Riley and Jhonattan Vegas, who led for most of the early portion of the championship.Majors seem to be falling in favor of the world's best players now more than ever. The […]
Related
Red Sox’s season is far from over, but their defense, pitching need to find answers soon
The Red Sox’s roller coaster is, for the time being, climbing back uphill.In a tumultuous season defined by chaos, inconsistency and awkward roster fits, Boston’s 11-7 win over the Yankees on Sunday secured the club’s most encouraging series win of the year so far. The Sox pitched poorly against their rivals, surrendering 23 runs over three games, but a locked-in lineup managed to overcome the team’s poor defense and pitching woes.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe galvanizing victory was a prime reminder that this Red Sox club, while immensely flawed, is still incredibly talented. And despite all the drama, the hand-wringing, the underwhelming record, the bad defense, the injured superstar and the underperforming rotation, Boston’s season is far, far from over.Because this team can rake.Even with perennial All-Star Alex Bregman on the injured list and top prospect Roman Anthony wallowing in Triple-A (until his call-up […]
PWHL Expansion Draft live updates: Latest news as Vancouver and Seattle teams build their rosters
Each of the league’s six existing franchises — in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York and Minnesota — were able to initially protect three players from being selected in the draft or signing during the pre-draft window. Only players under contract or team control through 2026 could be protected.Once teams lose two players, either through the signing window or the draft, general managers are permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four.Vancouver and Seattle will each select seven players in the draft from the pool of unprotected players. The draft order has not been announced and will be revealed at the start of the league’s draft broadcast.Throughout the roster-building process, each existing team will lose four players total from their 2024-25 roster. With the signing window now closed, the 14 players taken in the draft will […]
Several World Cup host cities in the U.S. monitoring political situation amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown
The U.S. host cities for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 admitted on Monday they were “monitoring closely” the current political situation in the United States amid rising tensions over President Trump’s crackdown on immigration — but insisted visitors will be made welcome at the tournament.FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino claimed earlier this year that “America will welcome the world” for next year’s tournament, which will be shared across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Infantino said: “America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game will be able to do that.”AdvertisementInfantino has also claimed that FIFA’s tournaments in the U.S., first the Club World Cup in 2025 and then the World Cup next year, will generate almost $50 billion in economic output for the U.S. Foreign travellers are integral […]
Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony: Source
For the second time in the past month, the Boston Red Sox have promoted a top prospect. On Monday, Boston promoted outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu has been placed on the injured list, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.At a time when the team is struggling to stay afloat in the American League East, but coming of a key weekend series win over the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have summoned Anthony, one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, to boost the club.AdvertisementIn 58 Triple-A games, the 21-year-old is hitting .288 with a .914 OPS, 10 homers, nine doubles and two triples along with 51 walks and 56 strikeouts.On Saturday night in Worcester, Anthony crushed a 497-foot grand slam at 115.6 mph. It marked the longest homer at any […]
Craque Neto “seca” Flamengo e Palmeiras ao manifestar torcida pelo Botafogo no Mundial de Clubes
Craque Neto, em discurso no programa Os Donos da Bola (Reprodução) Craque Neto não vai apoiar ferrenhamente por nenhum clube brasileiro presente no Mundial. Sem afinidade com Palmeiras, Flamengo e Fluminense, o ex-jogador quis externar um sentimento positivo apenas em relação ao Botafogo. Porém, como o Glorioso terá que disputar uma vaga nas oitavas de final com PSG e Atlético de Madrid, o título que resultaria em satisfação é bastante complicado. “No formato anterior, era mais fácil chegar na decisão. Chegando na decisão, tinha 50% de possibilidade de alcançar o título. Neste formato, se torna mais difícil pela diferença técnica e dinâmica de jogo da Europa para o nosso continente. Se classificar mudando de fase, já está bom demais. Mas, se acontecer uma zebra, que o nosso continente seja premiado.”, iniciou Oscar Roberto Godói. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Eu não penso assim. […]
2025 U.S. Open predictions, picks: Five trends to identify this year’s winner at Oakmont Country Club
OAKMONT, Pa. -- The third major championship of the season has arrived, and if the 2025 U.S. Open is anything like the first two, one can expect to see the normal candidates atop the leaderboard and a few surprises intertwined. While those tournaments were respectively won by Rory McIlroy (Masters) and Scottie Scheffler (PGA Championship), the first two majors were nearly in the hands of a couple of unusual suspects.At Augusta National, it was Justin Rose who posted the clubhouse lead and narrowly lost in a playoff to McIlroy. While Scheffler scorched the Earth at Quail Hollow, the leaderboard just beneath him included names such as Harris English, Davis Riley and Jhonattan Vegas, who led for most of the early portion of the championship.Majors seem to be falling in favor of the world's best players now more than ever. The […]
Be the first to leave a comment