England star details major difference between Thomas Tuchel and Gareth Southgate

Daily Mirror

11-06-2025

Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher played a handful of games for Thomas Tuchel when the German was his Chelsea manager and Gallagher was given his England debut by Gareth Southgate
Conor Gallagher has outlined the main difference between Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel after the new England manager oversaw a forgettable second international camp. Tuchel has come in for some fierce criticism following a hugely uninspiring 1-0 win over Andorra and a dispiriting 3-1 loss to Senegal at the City Ground.
But Gallagher, who worked under Tuchel at Chelsea, is convinced the German will soon get it right. And he has detailed his impact on the training ground.
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'I think Gareth is more chilled and takes a step back, whereas Thomas is full on with tactical stuff,' explained the Atletico Madrid midfielder. 'He's really helpful and really hands on in training.
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'It's really exciting. A lot of the lads know Thomas already. I know him from Chelsea and obviously he's a world class manager and everyone's excited to see where we can go together.'
While the players might be excited, the fans seem less so, booing the players from the field in the wake of the defeat at the hands of Senegal. And Gallagher admitted: 'I don't think we were great, if I'm being honest.
"The manager was calm. He was obviously disappointed and not happy, but he was calm with us. He knows we could be a lot better.
'There's a lot of improvement to be made. It's a shame because we're away from each other for a few months now, whereas he would like to kind of fix the problem straight away, but he can't because that's how it is in international football.
'But it's a work in progress. There's a lot to improve and there's a lot to work on and all the lads and the staff and the manager are all confident and happy with the progression.
'I'm sure the manager and the coaching staff will look back at the (Senegal) game and see where we can be better because there is a lot of improvement to be made. But we're moving forward.'
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Gallagher is one of the group of England players who will now turn their attention to the Club World Cup.
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His Atletico Madrid will be involved in one of the glamour ties of the early rounds when they meet Paris St Germain in Los Angeles on Sunday. And Gallagher is looking forward to the challenge posed by the Champions League winners and the tournament itself.
He said: 'They (PSG) are a world class team. They are the best team in the world right now and we'll be giving our best to try and beat them. You want to always play against the best players and their midfielders obviously had an unbelievable season, so you want to be playing against these guys. We know how hard it will be, but it's good for us and it's exciting.
'I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be a great tournament. I think it will be really exciting when all the teams are actually there and the tournament starts.'
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