Tuchel incensed at side’s listless showing vs Andorra, saying ‘ I didn’t like the body language’ of the side.
Thomas Tuchel incensed following England’s laboured performance in a 1-0 win over Andorra yesterday.
In their 1-0 victory over Andorra, Tuchel acknowledged that England had “played with fire,” running the risk of giving up an equaliser and a draw that would have been considered possibly their worst humiliation since their loss to the USA in 1950. He remarked, “I thought it was like a cup game where the favourites don’t see the danger.”
Harry Kane’s goal in the 50th minute gave England the victory, and they now lead the group with nine points without giving up a goal. Tuchel was obviously not satisfied with the performance, but no previous England manager has started with three straight wins to zero.
“I didn’t like the attitude how we ended the game,” he said. “I liked the attitude how we started the game. But I didn’t like the last half hour. I think we lacked urgency and seriousness you need in a World Cup qualifier. I didn’t like the body language and it was not what the occasion needed.”
“They were enthusiastic and they showed that as a group when they were in the camp. When we started the game, the attitude was right. We wanted to play according to our principals and to the plan.
“Matches like this can become awkward when you don’t score. It can be stuck. Then it’s necessary to not get frustrated, to do the little things right. I had the feeling after 25 minutes we were a bit frustrated with the little things and everybody tried different things. Then it becomes freestyle and it gets slower. Everyone wanted the ball in to feet, and nobody was speeding the game up with runs. You need contra-movements and runs and if you don’t invest it becomes a stuck game.”