Thomas Tuchel has openly acknowledged that England’s own handling of the ball turned them into a danger to themselves during their 3-2 loss to Spain. The Three Lions, who had previously navigated the entire World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal, found themselves on the receiving end of goals from Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal on Saturday.
This defeat added to a worrying trend for the English side, who have now let in a total of nine goals across their last three international fixtures – against Argentina, France and now Spain. While the defensive structure has been a frequent topic of discussion, Tuchel insists that the primary issue lies not in the organization of the back line but in the individual errors committed while in possession.
Speaking ahead of England’s upcoming Nations League clash with the Czech Republic, he said: "It’s not a concern yet. In terms of organised defending, block defending and active defending, we were at a higher level than in many other matches. If you isolate the defensive unit, I was quite happy and I think it was a step ahead." However, he was equally clear that the team’s shortcomings manifested when the ball was at their feet, especially during the deep‑build up phase.
"We suffered clearly from individual mistakes when we had the ball, especially in the deep build‑up, so that is of course something we cannot repeat. Not at this level," Tuchel warned. He added a striking observation: "Strangely enough, when we had the ball, we were the biggest danger to ourselves around the box because we just had too many individual mistakes. Purely in defending, I have no concerns and I trust that we can do it." The manager’s comments come at a time when his tactical decisions have been under intense scrutiny, particularly after England’s World Cup semi‑final loss to Argentina.
In that match, Tuchel chose to sit back and protect a one‑goal lead rather than push for a second, a strategy that many critics argued stifled the team’s attacking DNA. Reflecting on that approach, he said, "I think ball possession plays a crucial role; it's maybe not in our DNA like it is in Spanish DNA or in Argentinian‑Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball." This remark sparked a broader debate about the identity of English football and whether the squad possesses the innate confidence to dominate possession against top‑class opponents. Despite the criticism, Tuchel believes that England displayed their true character during the Wembley showdown with Luis de la Fuente’s side.
"I think there was a lot of discussion about this before the Spain game," he noted. "We showed our style and we showed our courage.
The players showed an identity and they showed it throughout the 90 minutes. We gave them a lot of problems. We caused ourselves some problems with individual mistakes. Mistakes can sometimes happen.
They shouldn't, but they did happen." He also highlighted the positive moments, emphasizing that England pushed forward even while leading. "We kept attacking when we were a goal ahead. We were even more dominant and more of a threat," Tuchel said.
He admitted that the team’s momentum faltered towards the end, partially due to their own errors, but he remained optimistic about the lessons learned. "We were a little bit self‑responsible for the break in momentum towards the end of the match.
But overall we have a lot of positives to take away," he concluded. Looking ahead, England’s schedule remains packed. The next Nations League encounter is against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, September 29, at 7:45 pm, followed by an away fixture against Croatia on October 3 at 5:00 pm, and a home game versus the Czechs again on October 6 at 7:45 pm. Fans can follow live coverage through Sky Sports’ match blog and app, and there will be a Q&A session with Sky Sports News England reporter Rob Dorsett on Tuesday morning, offering supporters a chance to submit their questions.
Tuchel’s candid assessment underscores a key message for the England camp: the defensive framework is solid, but the team must eradicate careless mistakes in possession if they hope to compete consistently with the world’s elite. By tightening individual decision‑making, reducing unnecessary turnovers, and embracing a more confident, possession‑oriented approach, England can transform those self‑inflicted errors into opportunities, turning the perceived weakness into a genuine strength as they strive for future success in the Nations League and beyond.