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Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tuchel searches for England's missing joy after worrying defeat to Senegal
It was 11pm on Tuesday and it sounded as if there was some kind of road rage incident on the forecourt of the City Ground in Nottingham. All that could be heard was the deep blare of a horn from a large vehicle, which went on for an uncomfortably long time. Then the realisation dawned. It was the Senegal team bus and the driver was geeing up the gaggle of fans draped in the country's colours, still ecstatic at how they had beaten England 3-1. The celebrations had got into full swing when Cheikh Sabaly, on as a substitute, swept home the clinching goal in stoppage time, the Senegal bench emptying, everybody wanting in on it. No team from Africa had beaten England before and it did not matter it was a friendly. The scene in the visiting dressing room was probably best described – as heard – by Thomas Tuchel. Advertisement Related: Eberechi Eze offers England's brightest spark amid end-of-season gloom | Jonathan Liew 'The players came in … it was next to my changing room … screaming: 'Senegal!' The next one: 'Senegal!'' the England head coach said. 'Hitting on boxes and whatever. It was not offensive. It was nice to see what it means to them.' Tuchel wondered how his players would have reacted if they had won 3-1. 'Would player after player go in the dressing room, would the coach go in the dressing room, screaming: 'England'? Would the players jump up and down? Or would we all say: 'Hey guys, it's a friendly match, this is what we expect'?' Tuchel's question was essentially rhetorical. England would not have been overjoyed. 'We would have said: 'Calm down, it's just a friendly, it was good but OK … a good development, put it into context,'' he said. 'It shows me what it means to them, an excitement and joy to celebrate this victory. We are not there at the moment. Advertisement 'We expect a lot from us. I get it because we expect also a lot from us and myself. I'm missing a little bit the excitement and laughter and the joy. I see it in training. I saw a glimpse of it after the 2-1 [for Senegal in the 62nd minute]. I liked the reaction [to that goal]. But in general: no.' For Tuchel, something is missing and he seems a little baffled. When he breezed into the job, it was with talk of a quick and aggressive approach, of Premier League passions, of a band of brothers high-fiving their way to World Cup glory. The famous Tommy Tuchel main character energy would light a fire in everyone. It has not happened, the overall sense being a heaviness of body and soul, safe passes into feet, not enough dynamic running or risk-taking. It is a worry. Tuchel is not the first England coach to see a gap between how the players express themselves at club level and for the national team; how happiness and freedom can be overtaken by fear of what might go wrong, a desire just to muddle through. Against Senegal, there were other causes for alarm, starting with a back four that has a transitional feel with John Stones injured and Tuchel looking beyond Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. It was easy to fret about the fourth member of the defensive line that has served England so well for so long. Kyle Walker was awfully slow to react to Ismaïla Sarr's run for the Senegal equaliser and it chimed with a jittery performance undermined by an apparent lack of certainty in the attribute that has always sustained him: pace. Has it finally deserted him? Advertisement Tuchel made the point that Walker lacked rhythm after a disrupted end to the season with Milan, mainly because of a broken arm. It was his first start since 5 April. Tuchel also said it was vital that Walker, and every other England player, was able to resolve his club situation. Walker is back at Manchester City, but he will not go with them to the Club World Cup. The 35-year-old has been written off before, not least when he went more than a year without a cap under Gareth Southgate from the summer of 2019. He must find the answers again if he is to reach 100 caps. He is on 96. There were errors across the defence against Senegal; the first two concessions, in particular, so cheap after routine balls over the top. Trevoh Chalobah was exposed on the first, Myles Lewis-Skelly on the second. Then there was the structure as England tried to build out from the goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. The team were static, the options not there, which also took in those in midfield. Passes went astray under pressure. Tuchel needs time to finesse the patterns and it will be vital to master a controlled, possession-based approach for the expected high temperatures at the World Cup next summer. He does not have time. Advertisement The good bit against Senegal, after the stodge of the 1-0 qualifying win over Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, came in response to Habib Diarra's goal for 2-1. With Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers on and Eberechi Eze coming alive, there was speed and intensity, promising combinations. Tuchel would also introduce Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke in the 71st minute. An equaliser looked on, although it did not come, Bellingham having a goal disallowed towards the end. There were questions within this, including where it left Harry Kane, who made way for Rogers. The captain scored England's early goal and caught the eye, dropping deep to make turns and play searching passes. However, the team danced to his tune and played at a slower pace. Perhaps, as Tuchel has suggested, England will need more than one way of working. As Tuchel assesses the camp, he will know there were mitigating factors for the performances. The tired legs after a gruelling club season. The awkward break between its climax and the international matches, the need for many players to effectively clock back on. The lack of jeopardy against Andorra and Senegal. Tuchel is fond of telling reporters what the headline in their newspapers should be. So, what was it after Senegal? 'Your headline is maybe a bit harder than I would make a headline,' he said, with a smile. 'Headline: yeah … a lot to learn.'
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tuchel searches for England's missing joy after worrying defeat to Senegal
It was 11pm on Tuesday and it sounded as if there was some kind of road rage incident on the forecourt of the City Ground in Nottingham. All that could be heard was the deep blare of a horn from a large vehicle, which went on for an uncomfortably long time. Then the realisation dawned. It was the Senegal team bus and the driver was geeing up the gaggle of fans draped in the country's colours, still ecstatic at how they had beaten England 3-1. The celebrations had got into full swing when Cheikh Sabaly, on as a substitute, swept home the clinching goal in stoppage time, the Senegal bench emptying, everybody wanting in on it. No team from Africa had beaten England before and it did not matter it was a friendly. The scene in the visiting dressing room was probably best described – as heard – by Thomas Tuchel. 'The players came in … it was next to my changing room … screaming: 'Senegal!' The next one: 'Senegal!'' the England head coach said. 'Hitting on boxes and whatever. It was not offensive. It was nice to see what it means to them.' Tuchel wondered how his players would have reacted if they had won 3-1. 'Would player after player go in the dressing room, would the coach go in the dressing room, screaming: 'England'? Would the players jump up and down? Or would we all say: 'Hey guys, it's a friendly match, this is what we expect'?' Tuchel's question was essentially rhetorical. England would not have been overjoyed. 'We would have said: 'Calm down, it's just a friendly, it was good but OK … a good development, put it into context,'' he said. 'It shows me what it means to them, an excitement and joy to celebrate this victory. We are not there at the moment. 'We expect a lot from us. I get it because we expect also a lot from us and myself. I'm missing a little bit the excitement and laughter and the joy. I see it in training. I saw a glimpse of it after the 2-1 [for Senegal in the 62nd minute]. I liked the reaction [to that goal]. But in general: no.' For Tuchel, something is missing and he seems a little baffled. When he breezed into the job, it was with talk of a quick and aggressive approach, of Premier League passions, of a band of brothers high-fiving their way to World Cup glory. The famous Tommy Tuchel main character energy would light a fire in everyone. It has not happened, the overall sense being a heaviness of body and soul, safe passes into feet, not enough dynamic running or risk-taking. It is a worry. Tuchel is not the first England coach to see a gap between how the players express themselves at club level and for the national team; how happiness and freedom can be overtaken by fear of what might go wrong, a desire just to muddle through. Against Senegal, there were other causes for alarm, starting with a back four that has a transitional feel with John Stones injured and Tuchel looking beyond Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. It was easy to fret about the fourth member of the defensive line that has served England so well for so long. Kyle Walker was awfully slow to react to Ismaïla Sarr's run for the Senegal equaliser and it chimed with a jittery performance undermined by an apparent lack of certainty in the attribute that has always sustained him: pace. Has it finally deserted him? Tuchel made the point that Walker lacked rhythm after a disrupted end to the season with Milan, mainly because of a broken arm. It was his first start since 5 April. Tuchel also said it was vital that Walker, and every other England player, was able to resolve his club situation. Walker is back at Manchester City, but he will not go with them to the Club World Cup. The 35-year-old has been written off before, not least when he went more than a year without a cap under Gareth Southgate from the summer of 2019. He must find the answers again if he is to reach 100 caps. He is on 96. There were errors across the defence against Senegal; the first two concessions, in particular, so cheap after routine balls over the top. Trevoh Chalobah was exposed on the first, Myles Lewis-Skelly on the second. Then there was the structure as England tried to build out from the goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The team were static, the options not there, which also took in those in midfield. Passes went astray under pressure. Tuchel needs time to finesse the patterns and it will be vital to master a controlled, possession-based approach for the expected high temperatures at the World Cup next summer. He does not have time. The good bit against Senegal, after the stodge of the 1-0 qualifying win over Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, came in response to Habib Diarra's goal for 2-1. With Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers on and Eberechi Eze coming alive, there was speed and intensity, promising combinations. Tuchel would also introduce Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke in the 71st minute. An equaliser looked on, although it did not come, Bellingham having a goal disallowed towards the end. There were questions within this, including where it left Harry Kane, who made way for Rogers. The captain scored England's early goal and caught the eye, dropping deep to make turns and play searching passes. However, the team danced to his tune and played at a slower pace. Perhaps, as Tuchel has suggested, England will need more than one way of working. As Tuchel assesses the camp, he will know there were mitigating factors for the performances. The tired legs after a gruelling club season. The awkward break between its climax and the international matches, the need for many players to effectively clock back on. The lack of jeopardy against Andorra and Senegal. Tuchel is fond of telling reporters what the headline in their newspapers should be. So, what was it after Senegal? 'Your headline is maybe a bit harder than I would make a headline,' he said, with a smile. 'Headline: yeah … a lot to learn.'
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
England left battered and booed as Senegal expose the flaws Thomas Tuchel must fix
Managing England, as Thomas Tuchel is fast discovering, is harder than it may seem. A chastening week took a turn for the worse, culminating in the boos that followed his first defeat. It is a moot point whether losing to an accomplished Senegal side is actually a better result than only beating Andorra 1-0 but, a year from the World Cup, England looked anything but potential winners. It was a momentous occasion instead for Senegal: when Cheikh Sabaly scored the injury-time third goal, they celebrated becoming the first African team ever to beat England. They did not merely overcome them. They outclassed them. Outpassed, outrun and outwitted, England encountered opponents who were quicker of foot and mind, cleverer and more coherent. That can't all be attributed to Tuchel, in just the fourth game of his reign, but this was a snapshot of familiar England weaknesses. They lost their way after taking an early lead, lacked control in midfield and looked less than the sum of their parts. They were dismal and dreadful. Rarely a man to keep his emotions under wraps, Tuchel was visibly irritated. His quixotic moves compounded their difficulties. If friendlies offer a chance to experiment, if he needs to get to know his new charges, if there is an element of trial and error, some of the choices that backfired felt odd. Even the most successful arguably illustrated their problems. Dean Henderson was the first goalkeeper to concede in Tuchel's tenure, but a string of saves illustrated that England at least have a fine alternative to Jordan Pickford. His best stops came in the opening quarter of an hour, blocking Nicolas Jackson 's shot with his legs and parrying his Crystal Palace teammate Ismaila Sarr 's header. Yet he was overworked, his defence shambolic at times. Tuchel had argued that fielding an all- Chelsea centre-back pairing would help subdue Jackson. They did not, though the debutant Trevoh Chalobah made several timely interventions. Levi Colwill fared worse, while Habib Diarra surged behind left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly for Senegal's second goal. Yet neither was embarrassed quite as much as the senior citizen in the back four. While Kyle Walker 's evening included a guided deep cross that, somehow, Anthony Gordon steered wide from four yards, he offered evidence his 96th cap should be his last. Senegal's equaliser was an indictment of Walker: as Jackson hooked the ball across the penalty area, he was too slow to react as Sarr stole in to finish. It should scarcely be news that Walker has lost his speed. A booking for a late challenge on El Hadji Malick Diouf was a case in point: Walker would have got their quicker if he still had his pace. Tuchel had seemed to ignore Walker's performances in his final few months before leaving Manchester City when selecting him. Trent Alexander-Arnold, left unused on the bench, may wonder how he was deemed an inferior option. In midfield, meanwhile, Conor Gallagher was particularly poor in possession. England's formation strayed dangerously close to a lumpen 4-4-2, making it easier for Senegal to outmanoeuvre them. The exception came when Harry Kane dropped deep; at times, he came so deep he materialised behind much of the midfield, doing his impression of a quarterback, an east London Andrea Pirlo, looking to release Gordon, who began with energy and intensity but faded. Kane had started his night in familiar terrain and fashion. Tuchel made 10 changes. One name stayed the same: Kane started and marked a fourth cap under Tuchel with a fourth goal in that time. A tap-in was testament to his predatory instincts, even if much of the credit belonged to Eberechi Eze, for winning the ball from Lamine Camara, and Gordon, whose shot was parried into Kane's path. A 107th cap took him past Sir Bobby Charlton; Kane now has as many goals as Charlton and Geoff Hurst combined. But England are yet to get goals from many of their other attacking talents under Tuchel. When Kane went off, the German initially played without a specialist striker; a slight, perhaps, for Ivan Toney, who was confined to a late cameo, as Morgan Rogers and Eze operated in central attacking roles, with neither as an out-and-out centre-forward. One substitute thought he had equalised, Jude Bellingham celebrating what seemed a leveller, only for his volley to be disallowed because Colwill had handled. Another substitute almost brought England level twice. The Nottingham Forest favourite Morgan Gibbs-White was bright and prominent on home soil as Edouard Mendy made two fine saves, denying him and Bukayo Saka. But no sooner had Gibbs-White come on than England were behind, Diarra shooting through Henderson's legs. And another England replacement inadvertently set up their third goal, Curtis Jones losing the ball and Camara, in redemptive fashion, powering away to find Sabaly. After three wins for England came three goals in a loss. Senegal are much the best side they have faced under Tuchel, but they could face far better again next summer. To say this bodes badly is an understatement. The rest of the world's nations are unlikely to be quaking in their boots.
The Herald Scotland
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Thomas Tuchel won't panic after England suffer shock loss to Senegal
England were booed off for the second time in four days as Saturday's stultifying 1-0 qualification win against minnows Andorra was followed by a first ever loss to African opposition on Tuesday evening. Thomas Tuchel's England were beaten by Senegal (Mike Egerton/PA) Harry Kane's early goal was cancelled out when Ismaila Sarr capitalised on poor defending in Nottingham, where Habib Diarra gave Senegal a deserved lead that substitute Jude Bellingham looked to have cancelled out late on. But the equaliser was ruled out as Levi Colwill was adjudged to have handled in the build-up and second-half introduction Cheikh Sabaly added gloss just one year and a day until the World Cup gets under way. Asked if they key message now is not to panic, England head coach Tuchel said: 'Yes, 100 per cent. We lost a test (friendly) match so there is no need to panic. 'We have (played) three qualification games, we have nine points and not conceded. We will be competitive in September, and we will go for two more victories – 100 per cent we will. 'We know more now, we are smarter. It's tough at the moment. I am the first one to dislike and hate losses like nothing else. England's Anthony Gordon reacts after a close-range miss against Senegal (Nick Potts/PA) 'But it's not next week. We don't go next week to the World Cup, we go in one year. 'I think by nature it will get more competitive in the nomination process and in the demands for the players to be nominated and to be with us in September, October and November because of the density, because we enter then a World Cup season. 'I think this comes by nature and from there we go.' England's performances this month have provided more questions than answers, including whether the weight of the shirt – something predecessor Gareth Southgate tried so hard to remove – was becoming an issue again. 'Not so sure what it means, this 'weight of the shirt',' Tuchel said. 'Expectations come naturally with results and the success that Gareth had with the group and with England. 'I think it was regular in quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals. It comes with it. 'You feel how opponents approach matches against us, what it means to beat us and to compete with us. I heard it because my changing room was next to the dressing room of Senegal. Senegal's Cheikh Sabaly celebrates victory over England (Nick Potts/PA) 'I just asked myself 'would we have celebrated in the same manner?' And I ask myself 'would I have been the first in the dressing room screaming and knocking my fist on some boxes?' 'Would the players then have joined or just said 'what's wrong with the gaffer? It is just a friendly match, he needs to calm down'. 'OK, I exaggerate a little bit but I include myself. I don't think my players would be so happy and so excited about it, and not because they are not, but maybe because they demand it from themselves. 'Maybe the latest history brings with it that they think everything is normal – we need to win, we need to win in style and we need to win comfortably, we need to beat everyone and it needs to look easy, we need to be exciting and everything mixed together feels a little bit like it holds us down because I see the smile, I see the liveliness in training. 'I tell you pretty much all the time that I am excited by what I see and I have a strong belief in what we can do. But we miss at the moment the translation to the pitch.'
Glasgow Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Thomas Tuchel won't panic after England suffer shock loss to Senegal
Among the favourites for glory in North America, the Euro 2024 runners-up received a wake-up call as the German head coach's honeymoon period came to a crashing end at the City Ground. England were booed off for the second time in four days as Saturday's stultifying 1-0 qualification win against minnows Andorra was followed by a first ever loss to African opposition on Tuesday evening. Thomas Tuchel's England were beaten by Senegal (Mike Egerton/PA) Harry Kane's early goal was cancelled out when Ismaila Sarr capitalised on poor defending in Nottingham, where Habib Diarra gave Senegal a deserved lead that substitute Jude Bellingham looked to have cancelled out late on. But the equaliser was ruled out as Levi Colwill was adjudged to have handled in the build-up and second-half introduction Cheikh Sabaly added gloss just one year and a day until the World Cup gets under way. Asked if they key message now is not to panic, England head coach Tuchel said: 'Yes, 100 per cent. We lost a test (friendly) match so there is no need to panic. 'We have (played) three qualification games, we have nine points and not conceded. We will be competitive in September, and we will go for two more victories – 100 per cent we will. 'We know more now, we are smarter. It's tough at the moment. I am the first one to dislike and hate losses like nothing else. England's Anthony Gordon reacts after a close-range miss against Senegal (Nick Potts/PA) 'But it's not next week. We don't go next week to the World Cup, we go in one year. 'I think by nature it will get more competitive in the nomination process and in the demands for the players to be nominated and to be with us in September, October and November because of the density, because we enter then a World Cup season. 'I think this comes by nature and from there we go.' England's performances this month have provided more questions than answers, including whether the weight of the shirt – something predecessor Gareth Southgate tried so hard to remove – was becoming an issue again. 'Not so sure what it means, this 'weight of the shirt',' Tuchel said. 'Expectations come naturally with results and the success that Gareth had with the group and with England. 'I think it was regular in quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals. It comes with it. 'You feel how opponents approach matches against us, what it means to beat us and to compete with us. I heard it because my changing room was next to the dressing room of Senegal. Senegal's Cheikh Sabaly celebrates victory over England (Nick Potts/PA) 'I just asked myself 'would we have celebrated in the same manner?' And I ask myself 'would I have been the first in the dressing room screaming and knocking my fist on some boxes?' 'Would the players then have joined or just said 'what's wrong with the gaffer? It is just a friendly match, he needs to calm down'. 'OK, I exaggerate a little bit but I include myself. I don't think my players would be so happy and so excited about it, and not because they are not, but maybe because they demand it from themselves. 'Maybe the latest history brings with it that they think everything is normal – we need to win, we need to win in style and we need to win comfortably, we need to beat everyone and it needs to look easy, we need to be exciting and everything mixed together feels a little bit like it holds us down because I see the smile, I see the liveliness in training. 'I tell you pretty much all the time that I am excited by what I see and I have a strong belief in what we can do. But we miss at the moment the translation to the pitch.'
