Chelsea and England legend John Terry has criticized Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel for unfairly singling out Tottenham’s right-back.
England manager Thomas Tuchel yelled at Jed Spence multiple times during the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry has criticized manager Thomas Tuchel for selecting Tottenham full-back Jed Spence for this summer’s World Cup. Terry, who won 78 caps for his country, believes Tuchel will not treat Trent Alexander-Arnold in the same way, and may have chosen Spence over the easier-to-target Real Madrid defender.
Tuchel has continued to harass Spence from the touchline in England’s four games in this summer’s competition, with the Tottenham full-back starting two of them. The German has continually and perhaps unfairly picked on the 25-year-old, despite the Three Lions’ entire backline looking strained at times.
Appearing on Piers Morgan’s World Cup Uncensored show, Terry was concerned about Tuchel’s treatment of Spence and the team’s other less established stars, claiming the German did not have the courage to do the same as the big names.
Tuchel has caused controversy by not selecting Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden for this tournament, citing the need for team harmony. However, with injuries to Reece James and Tino Libramento, the former Liverpool man’s absence is becoming more of an oversight for Tuchel.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen any images or videos of him getting mad at Spence again in the game (against Democratic Republic of Congo),” Terry said. “I wouldn’t say he’s picking on him, but he seems to be digging into him properly.”
“I’m a bit worried,” the former England captain continued. “If it was Trent, I don’t know if he’s acting like that. I don’t know if he’s talking to Trent like that.”
“And that’s probably the (explanation) why he picked some of these players, because he can do that with these young players and these new players on the team.”
Jed Spence plays in mixed tournaments and is always the subject of manager Thomas Tuchel’s ire (Image: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Morgan also pointed out that Spence can sometimes seem cocky, which may have contributed to Tuchel’s treatment of him. Terry gave his verdict on the 25-year-old: “Listen, I’m not a fan of his. I don’t think he’s a good defender, I don’t think he’s a good footballer.”
“But I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen Tuchel do that to anyone else. It seems like he only dug Spence out a couple of times.”
The Tottenham full-back was hooked in the second half of England’s last-32 match against the Democratic Republic of Congo following a battle with winger Brian Shipenga, which the Congolese repeatedly won. But Spence was not the only English player to endure Tuchel’s wrath against Congo. The German was visibly furious after Shipenga’s opener beat Jordan Pickford at the near post.
Spence currently has 10 caps for his country and is most likely to start at right-back for England’s remaining games if Tuchel decides to move Ezri Konsa to centre-back. The question remains whether Tottenham’s second-choice right-back should start at the World Cup while back-to-back champion Alexander-Arnold sits at home, but with no other natural right-back in the team, Tuchel may have little choice in the matter.
The German is no stranger to turbulent relationships in the world of football, having had his fair share of spats over the years with the likes of Antonio Conte, Kylian Mbappe and Romelu Lukaku. His passion is clear for all to see, but it’s hard to argue that his methods don’t yield results.
For example, Tuchel’s unusual treatment of Bellingham, including excluding him from the squad last year, has drawn fire from the Real Madrid manager, who has already won the Man of the Match award twice in this competition. And for Spence, who has perhaps experienced mixed tournaments at best, England’s last-16 clash with Mexico at the Azteca is the perfect opportunity to show up to England fans and remind Tuchel why he earned the right to play in the squad in the first place.
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