Thomas Tuchel has pointed out 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 made a series of costly errors against the reigning world and European champions on Saturday, ultimately conceding goals from Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. After an entire World Cup qualifying campaign in which England kept a clean sheet, Tuchel’s side have now allowed nine goals across their last three internationals – against Argentina, France and Spain. While the defensive shape has been questioned, Tuchel insists the problem lies not in the organization of the back line but in the individual mistakes made when the team is in possession, especially during deep‑lying build‑up phases.
"It’s not a concern yet," Tuchel told reporters ahead of England’s next Nations League fixture against 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 structure and the units, I was quite happy and I think it was a step ahead." He went on to explain that the real issue emerged when England had the ball. "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. 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 amid a wave of criticism over his tactical choices during England’s World Cup semi‑final loss to Argentina, where he opted to sit back and protect a one‑goal lead rather than press for a second. After that match, Tuchel argued that England’s footballing DNA does not naturally revolve around ball possession the way Spanish or South American teams do.
"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 said. Despite the criticism, Tuchel believes his players displayed the core elements of England’s identity during the Spain game. "I think there was a lot of discussion about this before the Spain game," he said. "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 highlighted the moments when England pushed forward even while leading, noting that the side remained aggressive and threatening. "We kept attacking when we were a goal ahead.
We were even more dominant and more of a threat," Tuchel added. "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." Looking ahead, England’s schedule includes a home clash with 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. Fans can follow the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app, and a Q&A session with Sky Sports News England reporter Rob Dorsett will be held on Tuesday morning, inviting supporters to submit their questions.
In summary, Tuchel’s assessment underscores that England’s defensive framework is solid, but the team’s own possession play is currently the most vulnerable area. The manager stresses that eliminating individual errors in the build‑up phase is essential if England hopes to compete effectively against elite opposition. By tightening up their ball‑handling and reducing self‑inflicted mistakes, the Three Lions can transform their defensive solidity into a more balanced, resilient performance on the international stage.