"Catastrophic defensive display": English press tear apart Thomas Tuchel's team after defeat against Spain
On the first matchday of the Nations League, Thomas Tuchel and England suffer a bitter defeat against Spain. The press are clearly critical.
Once again, the spotlight fell on shaky defending and basic errors in front of the Spanish goal.
For the 1-0, for example, Manchester City's centre-back Marc Guehi lost the ball while playing out from the back under pressure from Lamine Yamal, who punished the mistake without mercy and put Spain ahead in the sixth minute.
England's back line also made a mess of the 2-2, with Nico O’Reilly at fault. The left-back, who is also under contract at Man City, needlessly played the ball straight to Dani Olmo. The former Leipzig player then slipped it through to Alex Baena, who levelled at that point from around 16 metres.
Only a few minutes earlier, Harry Kane had wasted a huge chance to all but settle the match. The Bayern Munich striker saw his penalty saved after Spain's Rodri had brought Jude Bellingham down in the box. England had turned Yamal's opener around before the break with goals from Kane (40) and Anthony Gordon (36), before Baena (60) and Mikel Oyarzabal (74) struck for La Furia Roja.
Who will Thomas Tuchel and England face next?
The Daily Mail called it a "catastrophic defensive display". "Thomas Tuchel is likely to feel the pressure. He is developing an unfortunate habit - in fact, it ought to be his trademark to drag England over the line, but once again he was powerless as Spain made the gulf in class clear."
At the last World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Tuchel's Three Lions had also thrown away a lead in the semi-final against Argentina. Back then, the German coach came under fierce criticism, particularly for his defensive substitutions.
"England have found their DNA: Defensively Not Able," ruled the Telegraph, while the BBC warned: "England surrender themselves to chaos – but they need control to win the biggest prizes." According to the Sun, "Guehi's blunder and Kane's missed penalty" were chiefly responsible for the defeat.
After the opening defeat, Tuchel and England sit third in Group 3. Up next are the Czech Republic on 29 September and Croatia on 3 October, before another meeting with the Czechs on 6 October.
