England boss Thomas Tuchel lashed out at his players following the drab 1-0 win against Andorra, questioning their attitude in the latter stages.
England made it three wins from three in World Cup Qualifying Group K thanks to Harry Kane’s goal four minutes into the second half, but it was a sub-standard display from the Three Lions against opposition ranked 173rd in the world.
A 1-0 win for the #ThreeLions in Barcelona 👊 pic.twitter.com/CaUKyBvZKN
— England (@England) June 7, 2025
Home goalkeeper Iker Alvarez made several routine saves with only a second half block to deny Eberechi Eze standing out as England’s lack of invention was laid bare at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona.
England’s lazy ending annoys Tuchel
Having made the breakthrough, Tuchel expected England to take control but, instead, they seemed to go through the motions knowing Andorra did not have the quality to hit back.
The German told ITV Sport: “I am not happy with the performance. I think we started well in the first 20 or 25 minutes. We created a lot of chances and half chances, and we lost completely the momentum and couldn’t get it back in the first half. Got a little bit in the second half but then ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency.
“I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I did not like the attitude that we ended the game with. I didn’t like the lack of urgency and it did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier. We will let them know tomorrow what we want from them.”
Kane also gave a downbeat assessment of England’s display and is hoping for better in Tuesday’s friendly with Senegal in Nottingham.
The Bayern Munich striker said: “It’s not one that many will remember. We had good spells but we take the three points and move on.
“We need to be better for sure. June is never an easy camp and we have people coming in after long seasons. We have a friendly on Tuesday we can learn from again. We are disappointed we couldn’t score more but we will look towards the next game.”
Madueke stands out
The only England player to enhance his World Cup claims was Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, who made the goal and offered a constant threat down the flanks.
Tuchel said: “He was over the course of the match, the most dangerous. I could feel his hunger to do what was the plan throughout the whole of the match.
Thomas Tuchel becomes the first-ever England manager to win his first three games without conceding a goal 🛑 pic.twitter.com/nXpkg5s31f
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 7, 2025
With the win, and the victories over Latvia and Albania that came before it, Tuchel became the first England manager to win his first three games in charge without conceding, and Madueke was quick to talk up the positives.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We haven’t lost yet, we haven’t conceded yet [under Thomas Tuchel]. Grounds for optimism.
“Today wasn’t as everyone would have hoped in terms of the scoreline, but we won the game.
“My job is to create and score goals. I was able to create one today so I’m pleased.
“He [Tuchel] is very intense. very clear with what he wants. He has high standards. He doesn’t allow anyone to drop under them. That’s the kind of coach that will benefit England.
“We’re not stupid, we know the scoreline isn’t the one we wanted to have. I thought there were good parts of the performance. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are positives to take.”
