Tuchel says he wants to bring more ‘excitement and joy’ to England ahead of first game in charge | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel says England played without an identity at Euro 2024 and looked scared of being knocked out of the tournament.

Tuchel will take charge of England for the first time on Friday when they face Albania in a World Cup qualifier.

The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss was appointed as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate, who guided England to the final of Euro 2024, and also Euro 2020.

But Tuchel says he wants to make England more exciting to watch than they have been previously.

Asked if England played with a clear identity last summer, Tuchel told ITV Sport: “Not last summer, no.”

Pushed on what was missing, he continued: “The identity, the clarity, the rhythm, the repetition of patterns. The freedom of players, the expression of players, the hunger.

“They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament, in my observation, than having the excitement and hunger to win it.”

Expanding on those comments in his pre-match press conference before the game against Albania, Tuchel said: “It was just my feeling and my feedback. It was my feeling a long, long time before I knew I may be in charge.

“I think it’s a pretty clear statement and I don’t know how to put it in other words.

“I think it has to be the other way around. I want us to play with the excitement and the hunger and the desire and the joy to win.

“The acceptance of failure is a part of it especially in football but we all want to implement the joy and togetherness where everyone feels safe to express themselves and give their very best. That it’s recognisable that we play with the hunger and joy to win and not with the fear to lose.

“Anything can happen in football, we know this, but the focus is on winning, is on a higher number of touches in the opponents box, a higher number of attacks, a higher number of high ball recoveries. This is where the focus is.”