The National Times - England's Tuchel impatient for improvement after dire Andorra display

England's Tuchel impatient for improvement after dire Andorra display


England's Tuchel impatient for improvement after dire Andorra display

Thomas Tuchel said he is impatient to see improvement from his England side and believes there is no need to "sugarcoat" criticism after an underwhelming 1-0 victory over minnows Andorra on Saturday.

Change text size:

The Three Lions came under fire for their sloppy performance in the World Cup qualifier in Barcelona, where Harry Kane scored the only goal early in the second half.

They were booed after struggling to break down a team ranked 173rd in the world even though they extended Tuchel's winning start to three games.

"I'm impatient and want to do better," the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss said ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Senegal in Nottingham.

"We are thinking about giving the players a little bit more freedom in the structure -- let's see.

"Tomorrow we face a more physical and demanding team. On paper it might not look as offensive as we were against Andorra but will give the players more freedom to express themselves and hopefully we see that on Tuesday."

A serial winner of major titles, Tuchel was appointed as the third foreign coach of England to great fanfare, but he has so far failed to deliver on the exciting brand of football he promised.

His reign began with a 2-0 win over Albania and 3-0 victory against Latvia in March.

England captain Kane conceded the Euro 2024 finalists had "got away with one" given their lacklustre performance in front of a small crowd at Espanyol's RCDE Stadium.

"I think there was commonsense straight after in the dressing room," said Tuchel.

"We underperformed clearly in the physical input in the game which you could see on the sideline and the data. We didn't run enough."

The German said he believed in brutal honesty.

"I protect my players, I said no names of players," he said. "We as a team didn't match our standards.

"I didn't like the last 10 minutes, I felt on the sidelines. We didn't play seriously enough to win it in the end and what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier.

"Everything I say here I say to the players, why should I sugarcoat? There is no harm done, we can have criticism and I believe a group of players in football can speak honestly to each other.

"I always include myself in that -- now it's on us to do better. The attitude towards training and the camp and commitment is outstanding. Everybody wanted to be there and be involved, they wanted to start and wanted to play. We will analyse and try to do better."

M.Wilson--TNT

Featured

Leverkusen Suffer First Europa League Defeat to Marseille

Bayer Leverkusen have suffered their first defeat in this season's Europa League, falling 1-0 to Olympique Marseille. The result ended the German club's impressive run of three consecutive wins and a 347-minute clean sheet streak, which was broken by Amine Gouiri's strike in the 77th minute.

Union Berlin President and CEO Demand Playing Time for U19 Star Linus Güther

Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler and CEO Horst Heldt are pressing for increased first-team opportunities for 16-year-old forward Linus Güther. Despite a standout record in the U19 squad, the teenager has seen minimal action with the senior side as the club’s attack remains stagnant.

Manchester United climbs standings after 3-2 Champions League win over Roma

Manchester United and AS Roma entered their UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 meeting at Old Trafford on Tuesday with different objectives as they looked to improve their positions in the 2026-27 league-phase standings. The fixture brought together two European clubs with considerable continental history.

Italy Claims Curling Silver at European Championships in Ostrava

Italy has secured its first-ever continental curling final appearance, taking home silver at the European Championships in Ostrava. The Trentino Spiller team, featuring Amos Mosaner and Sebastiano Arman, finished second after a tight match against Scotland, marking a significant milestone for the nation's renewed curling program.

Change text size: