Thomas Tuchel urges England to play with a smile ahead of Senegal clash

South Wales Guardian

2 days ago

The German was critical of the team's performance as they laboured to a 1-0 victory over minnows Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
However, he is convinced the team can click into gear and insists there will be no need for them to feel inferior to the likes of Spain, Portugal and France at next summer's World Cup.
We're live from St. George's Park where Thomas Tuchel – followed by Bukayo Saka – will speak ahead of tomorrow's game against Senegal! 🎙️ https://t.co/1PT2M91Vqj
— England (@England) June 9, 2025
'I see us train with a smile, but not play with a smile,' Tuchel said.
'We need to improve, for sure. We need to improve in connections, in support, in interactions in the group.
'I feel we are too isolated on the pitch. We have not clicked yet. I don't see it has clicked between the players.
'We haven't done that yet, but it's also not the moment to look only on the negative side. We have a lot of positives to take away in training and in the sessions I see a lot of it, and it will obviously take a little bit to translate it to the pitch.
'The best thing is to focus on the principles of the game, to give clear instructions to the players, what we expect from them in their role,' he said.
'And then they forget about the shirt and how heavy it is, that they are free in the role and that they know what to do, and they have people around with whom it is easy for them to connect. And then just go for it.'
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka missed the Andorra game with a minor knock but Tuchel confirmed he would start against Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground in Nottingham on Tuesday night.
It will be the first time the 23-year-old has played for England since Tuchel took charge, after he was unavailable for the international games in March as he recovered from a hamstring injury.
The German also indicated the match could present a good opportunity for him to give some minutes one of his back-up goalkeepers, Dean Henderson or James Trafford.
Tuchel and the England squad watched the Nations League final on Sunday between Spain and Portugal, with the German admitting the high-quality football played in the final four of that tournament was the 'benchmark' England had to reach.
He has every faith in England to achieve the same standards though when it really matters, despite the poor performance against Andorra.
'We will rise to the occasion because it's very different. This will come. It will bring out the very best in us. We shall not develop a complex, because there is no need for it. Everyone is beatable,' he said.
'It is one of the most difficult things to do to play Spain in a final. They play with this natural self-confidence to be on the ball, to pass the ball around and to play through gaps.
'This is what they do. This is what they love. They make you suffer. They make you run behind.
'It takes a lot of time until you have the ball, but I think we have the quality, we have the ability and we have the courage.
'I struggle to say (it) because we were not there (as the coaching team in the Euros final in Germany), but it was 1-1 in the final and Spain scored in the last minute and it was the moment that gave the title to Spain.
'We have what it takes to compete.'