"England have stolen their soul": English press tear Thomas Tuchel apart following historic "humiliation"

"Thomas Tuchel is running out of time to work his magic – his England side are still groping in the dark in search of the right formula and, after this lethargic performance, are miles away from being serious World Cup contenders," wrote the Daily Mail, for example.

The Telegraph was even harsher in its criticism of the former Bayern Munich and BVB manager: "Tuchel has robbed England of its soul. This deserved humiliation at the hands of Japan felt like a slap in the face for the suffering fans."

Without the injured Harry Kane, the English side had been a massive disappointment, particularly in attack, despite having a far from poor line-up featuring Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon. In the first half, however, Tuchel’s side failed to register a single shot on target – something that hadn’t happened since their 0-1 defeat to Germany in November 2017, almost nine years ago. It was only in the closing stages that the one-time world champions pushed for an equaliser, but Kaoru Mitoma’s goal in the 23rd minute ultimately made the difference. 

After the final whistle, a chorus of shrill boos rang out. Tuchel explained, frustrated: “That hurts, of course. A defeat is always painful, and losing at home hurts particularly badly. We were punished for a minor mistake, for a single counter-attack in the first half.”

It became increasingly apparent during the interview just how frayed nerves are at the moment. When asked about the team’s supposed reliance on Kane, Tuchel said: “Well, why shouldn’t Argentina rely on Messi, or Portugal on Cristiano Ronaldo? That’s perfectly normal. Key players have left our camp, and we’ve felt the effects of that a little. We lacked cutting edge.” 

When asked whether he was putting too much pressure on the players, Tuchel also replied curtly: “No. I don’t think so. I don’t want to get involved in this discussion because I believe it’s very clear what we want to do and how we want to play football. We need to focus more on our principles, on doing things, on thinking. That’s what it’s all about.”

In the first friendly of the World Cup year last Friday, England had also failed to impress. Against Uruguay, they could only manage a 1-1 draw, which had already caused the criticism to grow louder. Now Tuchel is finally under pressure to deliver. With the tournament about to begin, there are still matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica to come. In the group stage, Croatia, Ghana and Panama await the Three Lions. 

• Group A:

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Group E:

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• Group L: