National coach Thomas Tuchel came under even greater pressure on the island after England's home defeat at the start of the Nations League against world champions Spain. The English media praised the entertainment value of the 2:3 at Wembley Stadium and also the Three Lions' offensive. But Tuchel is also blamed for the sometimes frightening defensive performance.
“England finds its DNA: defensively inept,” wrote the Telegraph in a comment: “Entertaining, yes – but when will Tuchel get this English defense under control?” “Daily Mail” also commented in this direction: “Tuchel’s back four were perhaps too influenced by all the pre-game discussions about English DNA.”
There are allusions to a statement by Tuchel that was controversial in England. The 53-year-old explained the semi-final exit at the World Cup against Argentina with, among other things: "I think that possession of the ball plays an important role. But it is perhaps not in our DNA as much as it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentine or Brazilian DNA to control the game with the ball." At the World Cup, England had led 1-0 for a long time against Argentina after a goal from Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but then retreated and got paid for it in the final phase. Argentina scored two late goals and advanced to the final, where Spain were too strong.
The BBC recognized that “head coach Tuchel learned the hard lesson that chaos without control at the highest level is a losing strategy.” And further: "Spain stands for control, not chaos. And that's exactly why they are serial winners, while England are still a team that hasn't had much success among men since the 1966 World Cup." Tuchel had said before the game against Spain that he wanted to accept the chaos in the English game - this is what the BBC now refers to in its criticism.
The class difference with world champions Spain was "still clearly visible in the crucial moments, with Spain's smooth, unhurried style providing a sharp contrast to England's often frantic efforts".
Game in the Czech Republic “suddenly extremely important”
According to the Daily Mail, Tuchel proved in the first game after the World Cup that “the team is making progress, but the well-known problem remains.” This is also why the game on Tuesday in the Czech Republic “suddenly becomes extremely important”. A defeat would put Tuchel in dire straits.
Tuchel himself knows that he has to deliver. “The result is not what we wanted,” he said after the defeat against Spain. He and the players have to “live with it, recover from it, learn from it, continue what we did well at the same level and reduce and eliminate our own mistakes.”
Regarding the BBC's chaos analysis, Tuchel said: "I'm not sure it was really that chaotic. We won an incredible number of high balls in the opponent's half - more than Spain." Tuchel also doesn't want to see a class difference. "We didn't see any difference, apart from the technical execution. They were superior to us in the last 20 meters."
Bitter for Tuchel: The game should have finally tipped in England's favor, but Bayern star Harry Kane missed a penalty kick when the score was 2-1 for England (54th minute). Then the Spaniards turned up the heat – and England lost. “That was perhaps the decisive moment because I think then Spain would perhaps have believed for the first time that their long unbeaten streak would end here,” said Tuchel.
