THOMAS TUCHEL has promised to make England exciting again after claiming that they were left scared stiff at the Euros.
The German says England were gripped by fear at last summer's tournament because they lost their “hunger” to win due to being weighed down by pressure on their shoulders.
England still reached the Euro 2024 Final but froze on the day and lost to Spain in former boss Gareth Southgate’s last game in charge.
New Three Lions boss Tuchel said: “They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament in my observation than having the excitement and hunger to win it.”
Tuchel, who takes charge of his first game against Albania at Wembley tonight, sees his mission as bringing back the entertainment and joy to help turn his squad into winners ahead of next year’s World Cup.
He said: “We must play with the hunger and the joy to win, not the fear to lose.
“I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players, and it felt to me that they were more afraid, like they were afraid not to lose and not to have even more pressure added than the excitement to maybe make something special happen.
“It has to be the other way around. We have to play with the excitement and the hunger and desire to win, the joy to win. We want to implement the joy and togetherness so that everyone feels safe to express themselves and give their very best and to play with a style which is recognisable.”
Tuchel admits he is already excited by his players.
He added: “They reminded me instantly in the first meeting, the first lunch together and then the first training session, why I was so excited about the job - it's because of them.
“It’s a joy to watch and be part of it.
Hopefully we can transport this energy, this fire, this hunger into the game tomorrow. A full Wembley will be very exciting, I will be a bit ner...
The German says England were gripped by fear at last summer's tournament because they lost their “hunger” to win due to being weighed down by pressure on their shoulders.
England still reached the Euro 2024 Final but froze on the day and lost to Spain in former boss Gareth Southgate’s last game in charge.
New Three Lions boss Tuchel said: “They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament in my observation than having the excitement and hunger to win it.”
Tuchel, who takes charge of his first game against Albania at Wembley tonight, sees his mission as bringing back the entertainment and joy to help turn his squad into winners ahead of next year’s World Cup.
He said: “We must play with the hunger and the joy to win, not the fear to lose.
“I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players, and it felt to me that they were more afraid, like they were afraid not to lose and not to have even more pressure added than the excitement to maybe make something special happen.
“It has to be the other way around. We have to play with the excitement and the hunger and desire to win, the joy to win. We want to implement the joy and togetherness so that everyone feels safe to express themselves and give their very best and to play with a style which is recognisable.”
Tuchel admits he is already excited by his players.
He added: “They reminded me instantly in the first meeting, the first lunch together and then the first training session, why I was so excited about the job - it's because of them.
“It’s a joy to watch and be part of it.
Hopefully we can transport this energy, this fire, this hunger into the game tomorrow. A full Wembley will be very exciting, I will be a bit ner...
You're reading a preview of
Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 21, 2025