Manager Thomas Tuchel accused England fans of being “silent” inside Wembley after England’s 3-0 win in a regular friendly against Wales. The German head coach has made it clear he is not happy with the atmosphere at the National Stadium, which could lead to a backlash from England’s fan base. The Three Lions led by three points within just 20 minutes thanks to goals from Morgan Rodgers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka, but the 7,000 Welsh fans were louder than the hosts.
After the match, Tuchel appeared perplexed in an interview with ITV: “We trained for a day and a half to play against a well-trained team, and we did very well.The first half was great.We were up 3-0 right away.At half-time. It could have been 4-0 or 5-0. We didn’t score the fourth and fifth goals. The stadium was silent. There was no energy coming back from the fans, and that’s what I think. Players Made a lot of deliveries to get more out of the stands. It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half. we did something great. we deserved to win. ”
Asked if he expected more from the crowd, the honest 52-year-old didn’t hold back. “Yeah, what more can you get than three goals in 20 minutes? And the fact that we attacked Wales, won ball after ball, ball after ball and didn’t let them run away in their own half. It’s a bit sad to listen to just the Welsh fans for half an hour, because the team deserved a lot of cheering today.”
There has already been criticism of the recent FA for England having a German manager rather than a homegrown manager. And that means Tuchel’s interview risks further criticism in the coming days.
Asked about goalscorer Rodgers, Tuchel added: “He is who he is. He is a No. 10 and will fight for his position. He is ready at the moment and is an important player. He has everything he needs and is in good form.”
And when asked what he thought of the England team without Harry Kane, the former Chelsea manager explained: “We are ready for any team effort. Serbia were the next example of teamwork and team effort. We created a lot of chances but we didn’t convert them.”
“We could have used Harry as usual, but like I said, if players get injured, we have to play without Harry and Jude (Bellingham). There can be no excuses, we will find a solution. Today we had a solution and I think we played a great first half. It was very good, apart from the fact that we only had a day and a half to prepare.”
“We had chances in the second half, Morgan and Anthony Gordon had two big chances and they could have scored. We probably need a goal to get the whole thing moving forward again. We tried to make some impact off the bench, but it wasn’t easy. To be honest, the effort was always there, so it didn’t hurt.”
“I have to say, Wales are a complex team to play against. They are well-coached, very well-coached. The players deserve a lot of credit for the effort they put in in the first half to keep them going and I am very happy.”
Rodgers scored his first goal for England and when asked where it ranked among the milestones of his career, the Aston Villa attacker said: “It’s the pinnacle. It’s a proud moment to score at home in your own derby. Yes, it’s a dream come true. It’s an amazing feeling.”
“The quality of players that we have, those who are here and those who are not here, you should never rest in peace and think that you have a role or that someone else will take your place. It’s important to keep progressing, keep performing and show what you can do.”
Fellow scorer Saka added, “It’s been a while. I missed a few camps, so I’m really happy to be back and get on the scoresheet. I’m happy. It meant everything to me. We moved the ball quickly. The game plan worked. We had to be patient and choose our moments, and we did it.”
