‘If we lose, we lose in our way’ – how Tuchel inspired ‘fearful’ England

Figure caption,

Highlights: England beat Croatia 4-2 in thriller

BySami MokbelSenior football correspondent in Dallas

England players were on the receiving end of a half-time reproach from manager Thomas Tuchel as their World Cup campaign got off to a victorious start against Croatia.

Harry Kane’s double and a goal apiece from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford ensured England secured a 4-2 win in Dallas.

But having taken the lead twice in the first half, the score was 2-2 at half-time and captain Kane said Tuchel delivered an important half-time message to the team.

“I thought it was a game of two halves. In the first half, we were OK,” Kane told ITV.

“[We were] really disappointed to concede in the way we did. I thought we dropped off.

“Credit to the manager, he gave us a speech at half-time and said if we lose, we lose in our way, and I think we saw that in the way we came out in the second half.

“We went full gas and they couldn’t live with it. Credit to everyone for the first game of the tournament.”

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England at ‘best level’ in second half against Croatia – Kane

In a separate interview with BBC Sport, the Bayern Munich striker added: “The boss said at half-time to up the tempo, go man for man and completely take the game to them, and that is exactly what happened.

“You saw us at our best level, both with and without the ball and we could have scored three or four goals in that 20-minute spell in the second half.”

Speaking to ITV at half-time, Tuchel’s assistant Anthony Barry described the first half display as “fearful”.

“Overall, a complicated and confusing first half from us, really,” said Barry.

“A lot of nervous energy early on. I think that’s accepted and maybe expected in the opening game of a World Cup.

“From there, then we made some decisions where the energy was not free in our minds. Playing long when we should play short, playing short when we should play long really, not playing through the gaps, not allowing us to accelerate our game the way we wanted to.

“You’d think the penalty would free us up, allow us to play more like us, to be ourselves, but again we fell back into some fearful patterns.”

Asked what he said to his team at half-time, Tuchel told ITV: “Even if we lose, it will not change my perception of the last 17 days, but let’s do it our way.

“We were too focused on protecting the result. We were a back seven and we didn’t defend. If the result doesn’t go our way, we want to play our way.

“I tried to encourage them to go for it.”

The half-time team talk seemed to have an almost immediate impact as Bellingham scored within two minutes of the restart to put England 3-2 ahead.

The Real Madrid midfielder told ITV: “It wasn’t one of those where it was a big drama or standing up and shouting; it was what the team needed.

“We have a mature group with great leaders in there. Everyone knew the level we had to get to. The start of the second half gave us a great platform.”

Figure caption,

Bellingham ‘put noise aside’ before England win over Croatia

Thomas Tuchel is surrounded by cameramen — Image caption,

Tuchel and his coaching staff in the dugout had their view blocked during the anthems

The clash in Dallas was Tuchel’s first as a World Cup manager.

But he revealed the occasion, particularly the emotion of the national anthems, was spoiled by a wall of photographers blocking his view.

“I have to tell you something. I’m begging Fifa to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team. It was a very special moment today, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience today.

“It is very emotional. Listen, when I was young, and even when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of, to have this kind of a career.

“I felt the spirit, and what it means to be part of a World Cup. It’s just amazing, and I felt very, very alive the last two days. I didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than here.”