Thomas Tuchel has openly admitted that England’s own handling of the ball turned them into a threat to themselves during the 3-2 loss to Spain. The Three Lions, who entered the match as the reigning world and European champions, made a series of costly errors that allowed Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal to find the net. While England had gone through the entire World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal, the recent run of fixtures against Argentina, France and Spain has seen nine goals slip through the backline.
Despite the defensive frailties that have been exposed by top‑class opposition, Tuchel is quick to point out that the problem does not stem from the shape or organization of the back four. Instead, he believes the issues arise when the team is in possession, particularly during the deeper phases of their build‑up.
"It isn’t a concern yet," the German coach said ahead of England’s next Nations League encounter 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 structure and the unit work, I was quite happy – it was a step ahead of what we have shown before." The manager, however, was blunt about the mistakes that cost England dearly. "We suffered clearly from individual errors when we had the ball, especially in the deep build‑up, and that is something we cannot repeat at this level," Tuchel explained. He added that, paradoxically, England were the greatest danger to themselves around the penalty area because of a cascade of personal missteps. "Purely in defending, I have no concerns and I trust that we can do it," he affirmed, underscoring his confidence in the defensive framework while acknowledging the need for cleaner possession play.
The coach’s comments come at a time when England’s tactical approach is under intense scrutiny. After the World Cup semi‑final loss to Argentina, where Tuchel chose to sit back and protect a one‑goal lead rather than press for a second, critics accused him of stifling the team’s natural attacking instincts.
Tuchel responded by suggesting that a certain "DNA" of ball‑possession football is less ingrained in English players compared with their Spanish, Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "I think ball possession plays a crucial role; it’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in Spanish DNA or in Argentine‑Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball," he said following the defeat. Nevertheless, the manager believes that the England side did demonstrate its identity during the Spain match at Wembley.
"There was a lot of discussion about this before the Spain game," Tuchel remarked. "We showed our style and we showed our courage. The players displayed an identity throughout the 90 minutes.
We gave them a lot of problems, but we also created problems for ourselves with individual mistakes. Mistakes happen, they shouldn’t, but they did happen." Tuchel highlighted the moments when England pushed forward despite leading, noting that the team continued to attack and remained a threat even when ahead by a goal. "We kept attacking when we were a goal ahead.
We were even more dominant and more of a threat," he said, pointing to the positive aspects of the performance. He also acknowledged a dip in momentum toward the end of the match, attributing it partially to the team’s own actions. "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," Tuchel concluded. Looking ahead, England will face the Czech Republic away on Tuesday, September 29, at 7.45pm, followed by an away clash with Croatia on October 3 at 5pm, and then host the Czechs again on October 6 at 7.45pm.
Tuchel’s focus will be on tightening the team’s possession phases, reducing individual errors, and ensuring that the defensive structure he is confident in can translate into clean sheets against high‑calibre opposition. In addition to the on‑field challenges, Sky Sports will run a Q&A session with reporter Rob Dorsett on Tuesday morning, inviting fans to submit their questions about the Three Lions. The broadcaster also promotes a Super 6 competition offering a chance to win £1 million, emphasizing the broader engagement surrounding England’s upcoming fixtures.