logo
Thomas Tuchel ‘impatient' for improvement with England

Thomas Tuchel ‘impatient' for improvement with England

Tuchel will take charge of his fourth England game at the City Ground in Nottingham, where he will look to keep up his 100 per cent winning record since taking over as head coach in January.
England came under criticism on Saturday after they only managed to edge a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra, courtesy of Harry Kane's 50th-minute goal.
Certain sections of fans made their feelings known at the break and full-time with boos and Tuchel was thinking about giving the players more freedom in their midweek friendly.
Asked when England would be playing the style of football he liked, Tuchel replied: 'I'm very impatient, which is not always a good thing.
'I'm always impatient because when you step out into the stadium and even if the fixture itself for the players is after a big season, after big finals, European finals, fighting for Champions League places in a big league, it might not be the most exciting fixture.
'But for me personally, once I step into a stadium, see the grass, smell the grass, see 7,000 English supporters there ready to go, I'm instantly expecting something from myself and from the players and it will be the same tomorrow.
Rest. Recover. Go again. 🔁 pic.twitter.com/Ryxy0wZDPz
— England (@England) June 8, 2025
'Of course, I'm impatient and want to do better. 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.'
The Senegal game will give Tuchel another opportunity to look at his squad, some of whom have not played under his stewardship so far.
Tuchel admitted Saturday's performance did not match the standards he has been trying to set and announced there would be changes.
He added: 'We as a team didn't match our standards.
'I didn't like the last 10 minutes. 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 sugar coat? 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.
'There will be some changes, I won't let you know how many but there will be. We want to reward players who kept their level up. We will see some fresh legs, new faces.'
One player who has not featured yet under Tuchel is Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal winger missed the German's first camp in March through injury and was not included in the squad on Saturday because he had only completed one full training session during the week.
Proud to represent the #ThreeLions ❤️
— England (@England) June 9, 2025
Saka said: 'It's been a bit of a frustrating year through injuries and (I'm) looking forward to tomorrow.
'After the last game of the season, I had a little strain. I was only able to do one or two sessions in the week so the manager said he'll leave me out and have me involved tomorrow.
'If I speak about Thomas, he has been quite demanding, intense on the pitch, but off the pitch relaxed and lets us enjoy ourselves and created a nice environment for all the players to enjoy.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Temba Bavuma's gutsy fightback shows South Africa's never-say-die spirit
Temba Bavuma's gutsy fightback shows South Africa's never-say-die spirit

The Guardian

time43 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Temba Bavuma's gutsy fightback shows South Africa's never-say-die spirit

You can defeat a South African team – Australia may very well themselves before Friday is over – but you don't ever seem to be able to make them realise they're beaten. They are a side who seem to just keep coming, long after just about anyone else would have given in. They had good as lost this match once, on Wednesday evening, when four quick wickets fell for spit in the first 20 overs of their innings, and then lost it all over again when five more went for sawdust on Thursday afternoon. They were 102 runs behind, with 10 wickets left to take, when they came storming back into this match all over again. You could feel something coming in the morning; there were heavy grey clouds over St John's Wood, and the atmosphere around the ground felt prickly, but you couldn't be sure what. It turned out to be a counterattack. Temba Bavuma threw a drive at Mitchell Starc's very first ball of the day, and was beaten on the outside. He threw a drive at the second, too, and was beaten all over again. He threw a third at the sixth, and this time he cuffed a couple of runs out through cover. Like Mike Tyson said: 'Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth'. The problem South Africa's batsmen had was that in two hours of batting the previous evening they hadn't actually managed to land one on Australia's bowlers. But now Bavuma was swinging like he was going after the bully who had just kicked over his sandcastle. In Starc's second over, the third of the day, Bavuma finally connected with one of his shots. It was a glorious four, thumped on the up through cover, and then he did it again later in the same over. For a moment, it felt like the World Test Championship final was blowing back South Africa's way. Bavuma thumped a full ball from Josh Hazlewood through cover for four and lumped a short one from Pat Cummins into the Grand Stand for six. At the other end David Bedingham, playing late and straight, picked off singles and patted the odd on-drive down the ground for four. The partnership passed 40, 50, 60, and just when you were beginning to think 'maybe, just maybe', Bavuma tried to drive another through cover off Cummins, but decided to check the shot in the split-second before he hit it. If he had only hit it with the same sort of conviction he had shown when he set after Starc's bowling an hour earlier, he might have got away with it. But the ball flew low, slow and within leaping reach of Marnus Labuschagne, who dived to his right to catch it. Bedingham, drawing on every last minute of the many hours of experience he's acquired in more than a decade of batting in English club and county cricket, did his best to hold one end while the wickets fell in a rush at the other. When it was all over, they were 74 runs behind, which is two more than any one batsman has managed to score in an innings in the match yet. Maybe they can't bat worth a damn, but they bowl about as well as anyone, and within an hour Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi had turned the match right around again. Rabada took two wickets in three balls, Ngidi three in four overs, and all of a sudden the best of Australia's batting lineup was splattered across the away dressing room, in a mess of bats and pads and helmets. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Truth is, South Africa aren't really supposed to be here. Their board has all but given up on Test cricket so they can devote themselves, and everyone else, to their own-brand Indian Premier League, the SA20; they sent a shadow team to play a Test series in New Zealand last year, and they qualified for this final after winning most of the bare minimum of matches they had arranged to play in the months since. Ngidi has played exactly two first class matches, never mind Tests, in the past 18 months and, given that they have not got a home Test match scheduled until October 2026, isn't likely to be playing many more in the next 18 months either. They are one of the great cricket nations, and were the world's No 1 side just over a decade ago, but their champion Test batsman, Dean Elgar, was turning out for Essex in the Blast on Thursday evening having quit South African cricket because there was so little to keep him busy. Small wonder they are playing this game in such a rage.

Thomas Frank has TEN priorities to sort at Tottenham: Big decisions to be made over six key players... and the one star he could bring Brentford
Thomas Frank has TEN priorities to sort at Tottenham: Big decisions to be made over six key players... and the one star he could bring Brentford

Daily Mail​

time43 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Thomas Frank has TEN priorities to sort at Tottenham: Big decisions to be made over six key players... and the one star he could bring Brentford

Thomas Frank arrives at Tottenham as the euphoria fades after the club's first trophy in 17 years and the first in Europe for 41, but there is still plenty to do. This is not Arne Slot swanning into Liverpool and tweaking a little bit here and there. There is lots for him to get stuck into as he makes the step up from Brentford into the glare that accompanies one of England's most illustrious clubs. Harness the spirit of Bilbao… With the long wait finally over, Frank's primary task is to ensure Spurs build on the Europa League win and do not allow the feelgood factor to slide away with Ange Postecoglou. That's both in terms of the mood among fans and inside the training ground. At 51, and with nearly 30 years of coaching behind him, Frank is mature enough to appreciate Postecoglou's achievement and not plunge in and tear it all up in an impatient scramble to impose his own ideas. Among his strengths are common sense, pragmatism and adaptability. He understands the landscape. He knows what works in English football and he fits a similar profile to the two most successful managerial appointments made in 24 years by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino both moved up to Tottenham having over-achieved in the Premier League. Redknapp at West Ham and Portsmouth. Pochettino at Southampton. Some Spurs players might have been sorry to see Postecoglou go but the idea the dressing room will be distraught is unrealistic. They are professional footballers, they know the score and they will soon move on to figuring out if the new boss will be good or bad for them. Collective success is one of the great binding agents in sport. Postecoglou was popular because he forged the spirit that led them to the trophy and Frank can use this to his advantage if he is smart, which he is. His interpersonal skills are admired. He likes to foster close relationships with his players. He will soon find the way to connect. Early messages to fans will have to be pitched carefully, too, but he is an excellent communicator. Expect to see him praising Postecoglou for his work and promising to build on the foundations. Don't lose the flair… When he was promoted with Brentford in 2021, Frank prioritised three things: to be defensively tight, super fit and threaten from set pieces. This they did. They were big, physically imposing, aggressive in and out of possession and carried an aerial threat. They roughed up some of the elite clubs and survived despite one of the lowest budgets. Spurs are not newly promoted or low budget but after the wild inconsistencies of last season could do worse than adopt some of these basics for next season. They have been beset by injuries, fragile at the back and nothing special at set pieces for two years. At the same time, to lose the flair would be the fast lane to losing the fans, many of whom were disappointed to see Postecoglou sacked despite winning the Europa League. Frank must quickly strike a balance as he did last season when Brentford added new layers to their style. They were less direct, played out from the back, and increased their share of possession although it was still typically less than 50 per cent. They became more creative, had more efforts at goal and scored more. And remained excellent on set-pieces at both ends, spirited and tough to beat. There is plenty of adventure in the Tottenham squad, but two of the most creative players, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, are recovering from serious knee injuries. Kulusevski is expected to miss the start of the new season and Maddison's preseason could be delayed. Find the right tactical plan… Frank is not a coach wed to a strict tactical philosophy. The opposite, in fact. His past shows he can assess the capabilities of a squad and forge a plan to get the best from it. He is adaptable and flexible, but once he weighs it all up, his teams are well-drilled and organised. They know what they are trying to do. At Brentford, he has deployed a back four (4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3) and a back three (3-4-3) and often flexing from a back four into a back three when in possession, releasing one full back more readily than the other with an aim to disrupt and overload opponents. This was effective with Keane Lewis-Potter and Kristoffer Ajer as his full backs and it is easy to envisage with Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in similar roles. Van de Ven has all the attributes to play the Ajer role on the left of a back four but as one of Tottenham's bigger stars, will it be easy to dislodge him from the centre of defence? Probably not. Postecoglou's high defensive line is not likely to survive a summer of change. Nor the inverted full backs. Up front, Frank likes pace to enable a quick counterattack and will find plenty of that at his disposal from speed merchants like Heung-min Son, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson. He would love to bring in Bryan Mbeumo, who looks set to leave Brentford, but the proposed £270,000 a week reportedly on offer at Manchester United would smash the current wage structure at Spurs. Johnson and Archie Gray, incidentally, were both set to sign for Brentford when their heads were turned by a move to North London. Midfielders with the defensive acumen to provide protection might be harder to come by. Yves Bissouma, with only one year on his contract, is a players Spurs were ready to sell if the price was right. Gray and Lucas Bergvall are talented but young and this is an area of the pitch where they realise there is a need to improve and where Frank will want more physical power. Son Heung-min… The biggest of the big decisions. The captain and commercial star of Spurs is 33 next month with only a year left on his contract. He did not seem keen to sign a new, extended deal before his latest one-year extension clause was triggered. Nor has his form been particularly good. Chairman Levy will be opposed to the idea of Son walking out on a free next year. If genuine interest emerges from Saudi Arabia, then it makes sense to consider selling. Ultimately, it should be a decision for the new boss. Can Frank see a key role in the team for Son? If not, does he feel strongly about keeping him in the dressing room to lead standards and using him more sparingly? Or is it time to bid him farewell and let him pocket a small fortune in Saudi or the USA? A few more big decisions… Bissouma is not the only established player facing uncertainty. Cristian Romero is keen on a move to Atletico Madrid and, with two years on his contract, it makes sense to sell and generate transfer funds. As with Son and Bissouma, the sooner these things are sorted out the better. There is no sense in keeping a disgruntled senior player if his heart is set on leaving. Kevin Danso's loan move from Lens has been made permanent, although, with Radu Dragusin out since January and still on his way back from a cruciate knee injury, Frank could do with reinforcements in central defence. It might provide the chance to sign someone who knows how he works, such as Nathan Collins, a centre-half who has grown in stature since his £23million move from Wolves to Brentford in 2023. Ben Davies is ready to leave in search of regular football. Wrexham are among those interested but Spurs triggered the clause for his contract to be extended by one more year and will want a fee. There is an option to sign Mathys Tel for £45m from Bayern Munich after his six months on loan. There have been reports Levy is trying to renegotiate the fee after Tel's underwhelming form while Bayern are not in a hurry to sell and it could all end with another loan deal. Hopefully, Frank will have some say. His background in youth development is an attraction for Tottenham as they follow a recruitment strategy to sign young players and improve them. Others on the periphery, coming into the club or returning from loan spells for the new boss to assess include Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Dorrington, Luka Vuskovic, George Abbott and Yang Min-Hyeok. And one more, in goal… As a coach obsessed with set pieces, Frank will have analysed the perceived weaknesses of Guglielmo Vicario, including his inability to take control in the crowds at corners and free kicks. Vicario, one of Tottenham's few vocal leaders in the dressing room and a big personality has been prone to mistakes since his return from injury last season. Perhaps this is down to disruption in defence and his confidence could benefit if Frank moulds the team to give him more protection, with a deeper defensive line and less time with the ball at his feet. It will be interesting to see if he is prepared to back Vicario as the number one or turn to Antonin Kinsky or demand another new 'keeper. Recruitment strategy… Many years have passed since Frank and Johan Lange, Tottenham's technical director, worked together as coaches at Lyngby but they are expected to click back into a good working relationship. There will be similarities between Lange's studious data-led style and those at Brentford, another data-first club with a heavy Danish influence. Frank will expect to have his views heard but is accustomed to working with the players delivered by an effective recruitment process. At Spurs, however, it is a very different culture to Brentford and there are other forces at play. For one, they are expected to show more ambition in the market. Their target, despite only four major trophies in four decades, must be to win things on a regular basis. They must be careful not to simply become a club who buy promising talent to train on and sell for profit. They are very low on experience and leadership, and this will become more important if they are competing for big prizes. Another factor is always the conflicting interests. Levy likes to be central to the process, and the influence of former managing director Fabio Paratici, nearing the end of a FIFA ban, remains strong. Both have preferred agents and trade in favours. It is drastically different to Brentford's holistic culture and mastering this minefield has proved impossible for several of Frank's predecessors. Prepare for the Champions League… One glaring omission on the Frank resume is a lack of competitive experience in Europe. He took Brondby into the Europa League, although with little success. The first campaign ended at the first hurdle, beaten 5-0 on aggregate by Bruges. The second made it through three qualifying rounds before a 6-1 aggregate defeat against PAOK in the play-off tie. Combining the demands of the Premier League, two domestic knockout cups and the expectations to deliver an adventurous style of football while playing European football is arguably the toughest challenge. Postecoglou could not solve the puzzle with a squad lacking depth and there is a chance they will lose vital international experience if Romero and/or Son leave. The Champions League is a tougher challenge than the Europa League, with stronger opponents, greater emotional strain and fewer opportunities to rest, rotate and blood youngsters. There's a small compensation by way of an end to the gruelling Thursday-Sunday cycle. Build the backroom staff… Much of the discussion and delay after striking a deal with Frank has revolved around who can join him from Brentford. And how much will that cost Spurs. Postecoglou was an anomaly, but head coaches always want their own staff to help them instil their culture and beliefs. Frank always said 'the secret sauce is the people' when impressing what made Brentford tick and he would be keen to bring Claus Norgaard, his trusted Danish sidekick, and Justin Cochrane, a highly rated young coach who worked previously on Tottenham's academy staff, across London with him. His commitment to the power of set pieces means he will want a dedicated coach to work on them, whether that is Keith Andrews, who is one year into that role at Brentford, or someone else. Spurs have fired coaches Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and Mile Jedinak, but intend to keep Postecoglou's assistant Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch at the club. Finalise preseason preparation… Frank will be eager to start work. He usually takes a week to tie up loose ends at the end of a season, then a week or two on holiday before throwing himself back into summer planning. Tottenham have preseason friendlies in the calendar against Arsenal in Hong Kong and Newcastle in South Korea, in July, and one in Munich against Bayern in August before the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in Italy, three days before the Premier League kicks off.

Bayern Munich wonderkid, 20, ‘turns down Rangers offer' as he leaves Bundesliga giants as free agent
Bayern Munich wonderkid, 20, ‘turns down Rangers offer' as he leaves Bundesliga giants as free agent

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Bayern Munich wonderkid, 20, ‘turns down Rangers offer' as he leaves Bundesliga giants as free agent

They've been beaten to his signature LOOKING ELSEWHERE Bayern Munich wonderkid, 20, 'turns down Rangers offer' as he leaves Bundesliga giants as free agent RANGERS made an offer to a Turkish wonderkid Emirhan Demircan but he has rebuffed them and opted to sign for FC Utrecht, according to reports. The 20-year-old joined the Bayern Munich youth academy in 2017 and featured regularly for their reserves last season. Advertisement 1 Emirhan Demircan in action for Turkey Under-21s Credit: Getty Demircan played in 20 games for Bayern Munich II in the Regionalliga Bayern (Bavarian regional league) and scored six goals, adding five assists. He plays mainly as a left-winger but can also operate on the right or as a central striker. According to various reports, including transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Gers were one of four clubs interested in snapping up the starlet from the Bundesliga giants. Turkish outfit Besiktas and fellow German side Hoffenheim were also linked with the player. Advertisement But he has decided to move to the Netherlands with Eredivisie side Utrecht. He has been given a three-year deal and completed a medical ahead of the move. Demircan has three caps for the Turkish Under-21s and has also played for his national team at Under-19 and Under-17 level. With interest mounting in Hamza Igamane and with doubts over Oscar Cortes' fitness, Demircan made sense for Gers, particularly given he would have been available on a Bosman. Advertisement We told you last night that potentially up to SEVEN clubs are now monitoring Moroccan ace Igamane. Meanwhile, Gers striker Danilo is trying to reignite his Ibrox career by ramping up his preseason schedule. £6m Rangers star Danilo spotted doing gruelling sessions on beach in Brazil as he gears up for make or break pre-season He posted a video of a gruelling workout on the beach back home in Brazil. In the clip he can be seen working with a fitness trainer and sporting his very own 'Danilo 99' Rangers shirt. Advertisement The Brazilian showed no signs of any lingering injury issues as he performed sprint work and fast feet exercises on the sandy terrain. Croatian striker Matija Frigan is also understood to be of interest to the Light Blues and new boss Russell Martin. Premier League cult hero Jamie Vardy has also been linked with Gers after his exit from Leicester City was confirmed. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store