Thomas Tuchel has openly acknowledged that England’s own ball‑play was the primary source of their difficulties in the 3‑2 loss to Spain. The Three Lions, who entered the match as the reigning World Cup and European champions, made a series of costly errors that allowed the Spanish side—featuring Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal—to find the back of the net on three separate occasions. Until this weekend, England had completed the entire World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal.
However, the defensive record has now been tarnished by nine goals allowed across their last three senior internationals, which include defeats to Argentina, France and now Spain. While the numbers suggest a worrying trend, Tuchel is quick to point out that the problem does not stem from the team’s structural defensive setup.
Instead, he believes the lapses occurred when England were in possession, particularly during the deeper phases of their build‑up play. "It’s not a concern yet," Tuchel remarked ahead of England’s upcoming Nations League clash with the Czech Republic on Tuesday. "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." The German manager, however, admitted that the side suffered from a series of individual mistakes when they had the ball. "We clearly made errors in the deep build‑up, and that is something we cannot repeat at this level," he said. "Strangely enough, when we had possession we were the biggest danger to ourselves around the box because of those mistakes.
Purely in defending, I have no concerns and I trust that we can do it." Tuchel’s comments come against a backdrop of intense scrutiny over his tactical approach, especially after England’s semi‑final exit from the World Cup against Argentina, where he chose to sit back and protect a one‑goal lead rather than press for a second. Critics have argued that his game plan stifled the team’s natural attacking instincts.
In response, Tuchel highlighted a perceived cultural difference in footballing philosophy: "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," he explained after the Argentina match. The notion of an English "DNA" that eschews sustained possession has been a recurring theme in the media. Yet Tuchel insists that his players demonstrated their own identity during the defeat at Wembley.
"There was a lot of discussion before the Spain game," he said. "I think we showed our style and we showed our courage. The players displayed an identity throughout the 90 minutes. We gave Spain a lot of problems, but we also created problems for ourselves with individual mistakes.
Mistakes can happen; they shouldn’t, but they did." Despite the loss, Tuchel highlighted several positives. He noted that England held the world and European champions on the brink of defeat and that, in the decisive moments, the team produced its best football. "We kept attacking when we were a goal ahead.
We were even more dominant and more of a threat," he added. He also acknowledged a lapse in momentum towards the end of the match, attributing it partly to the team’s own actions, but maintained that the overall performance offered many take‑aways for future fixtures. Looking ahead, England’s schedule includes a home match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, September 29, at 7.45 pm, followed by an away game against Croatia on October 3 at 5 pm, and a return fixture with the Czechs on October 6 at 7.45 pm. Tuchel’s focus will be on tightening the team’s possession phases, reducing individual errors, and reinforcing the defensive structure that has served them well in the past.
In addition to the on‑field analysis, Sky Sports will be running a Q&A session with reporter Rob Dorsett on Tuesday morning, inviting fans to submit their questions about the Three Lions. The broadcaster also encourages viewers to use the Chrome browser for an optimal video experience. Overall, while England’s defensive record has slipped in recent weeks, Tuchel remains optimistic.
He believes the core defensive principles are sound and that the primary work lies in polishing the team’s ball‑handling and decision‑making under pressure. By addressing these possession‑related issues, he expects England to return to the high standards that have defined their recent international success.