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Tuchel: On the ball, we were a danger to ourselves

Thomas Tuchel believes England were a danger to themselves on the ball during their 3-2 defeat to Spain.

Data shows England made inroads against Spain but they must be more clinical | Andrew Beasley

Thomas Tuchel’s side had 36 touches in the Spain penalty area at Wembley but were given a lesson in taking chances England dominated Spain to an extent very few teams have in recent years. Sadly for them, not in terms of goals . Nor possession. But ownership of the ball is less important than where on the pitch it occurs. Thomas Tuchel’s side had 36 touches in the visitors’ penalty area, a ridiculously high total when put in context of Spain’s last decade. They allowed just 9.5 touches per 90 minutes at the 2026 World Cup. The combined efforts of Belgium, France and Argentina registered 38 touches in the Spain box in the final three rounds of the tournament. Since available records began (at the start of Euro 2016), the most box touches a side has had against Spain was the 45 Germany had in the quarter-final of Euro 2024. However, that game went to extra time. France had 42 in normal time in the ridiculous Nations League semi-final they lost 5-4 last year, then come England, second best in regular time from a sample of 133 matches. Continue reading...

Spain expose England's shortcomings in breathtaking Wembley comeback

Spain showed the quality that earned them the 2026 World Cup trophy, while England's crisis of identity continues.

Should England try to emulate Spain or embrace Premier League 'chaos'?

Thomas Tuchel was hired to answer England's biggest question: How do you win?

Bellingham named England player of the year

Jude Bellingham has been crowned England men's player of the year for the second time in a row.

How PSG's Ballon d'Or duo are pushing each other on

While there can only be one winner, team-mates Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are backing each other to win the Ballon d'Or.

Mourinho's ref rants overshadow Madrid derby defeat; can Arsenal shrug off heavy loss?

Real Madrid lost the derby to Atletico this weekend, but Jose Mourinho's focus was on the refereeing postgame, not the result. Plus: Can Arsenal shake off a deservedly heavy defeat at Brighton?

Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 stars on international duty

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 campaigns are currently in the middle of a three-week break due to an extended international window. The top two divisions' finest have travelled across the globe to represent their countries, but who has been called up and how are they getting on?

Mbappé refuses to criticize Madrid derby ref

Kylian Mbappé has refused to criticise the referee in charge of Real Madrid's 2-1 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid, despite admitting that official Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias made "mistakes" in his handling of the match.

Thomas Tuchel rocked by five key withdrawals from England squad

Palmer, Rice, Mainoo, Rashford and Livramento injured James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White called-up as cover Thomas Tuchel has been rocked by a host of withdrawals from his England squad, with Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento all out because of injury. The head coach has called up James Garner and Morgan Gibbs‑White to boost his options for the upcoming Nations League programme. Tuchel gave Palmer a high-profile recall on Friday for the beginning of the two-year international cycle that he hopes will end in glory at Euro 2028. England are back in the top division of the Nations League and they kick off against Spain at Wembley on Saturday. They then play Czechia and Croatia away before returning to Wembley to face Czechia. Continue reading...

D’Amico: ‘Roma motivated by Inter clash, worked quickly for Balerdi’

Roma director Tony D’Amico focuses on the ‘motivation’ of hosting Inter and explains how they...

‘Embrace the chaos’: Tuchel aims to harness England’s football culture

Head coach says he must accept lack of control in games ‘Deep down, English players … they go for it’ Thomas Tuchel has admitted there are times when he craves greater control in matches. But the England head coach feels the more chaotic, adrenaline-fuelled nature of the Premier League will remain his template as he targets glory at Euro 2028. Tuchel described his team as “maybe not the most economical to play football” in terms of their habit of constantly playing at full throttle. They lost to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in July when they had nothing left in the tank and watched the game slip away after going 1-0 up in the 55th minute. England barely touched the ball thereafter, had no control and were reeled in, Argentina winning with two late goals. Continue reading...

Tuchel should listen to ‘the 0.1%’ and learn from England’s World Cup mistakes | Jacob Steinberg

Head coach is keen to focus on positives but Nations League squad hints at desire for greater tactical options Thomas Tuchel should be listening to the 0.1%. As he unveiled his first England squad since the World Cup, he said 99.9% of supporters he bumped into did not talk about his substitutions during the Argentina game. According to him, the conversation is far more positive. Memories are shared of the knockout wins over Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It seems those who want to take the England head coach to task over the retreat in the semi-final in Atlanta are in the minority. This is, of course, hard to quantify. Is it really 99.9%? We can take Tuchel at face value, but relying on anecdotal evidence goes two ways. A lot of fans are not ready to move on yet. The national mood is far more downbeat than Tuchel imagines and he is kidding himself if he thinks people have forgiven the way England folded after going 1-0 up against Argentina early in the second half. Continue reading...

'Embrace the chaos' - What we learnt from Tuchel's England picks

Tuchel recalls Alexander-Arnold and Palmer with warning

England boss Thomas Tuchel recalls Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer but says players have to "perform".

Mbappé criticizes meme depicting him as dictator

Kylian Mbappé has criticised a viral meme depicting him as a dictator, saying that the trend "shows a lack of political and human awareness in people."

Ballon d’Or shortlist shows up Premier League’s attacking failings – but tide could be turning

English top flight’s forwards are not well represented on the list, reflecting a season of set-piece grapple, but 2026-27 already looks brighter Premier League representation is low when it comes to the 16 attacking players on this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist . Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are there but Cole Palmer, one of the nominees in 2025, is out after an injury-hit year and English football’s shift towards physicality and set pieces last season is summed up by none of the forwards from the best team in the country making the cut. The trio giving Arsenal a presence – Gabriel Maghalhães, Declan Rice and William Saliba – are all defensive minded. Arsenal won the league but their forwards are not regarded as elite. Injuries played a part, denying Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka fluency, but Mikel Arteta’s side were not loved by neutrals. There was respect rather than admiration for their defensive rigour. There was an argument that a lack of ambition after going 1-0 up stopped Arsenal from beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Continue reading...

Kobbie Mainoo moves from outsider to main man after summer of hurt

England reached World Cup semis yet midfielder did not play a minute. But he is key to Manchester United in derby It was a sight the England press pack became increasingly used to seeing after the team’s World Cup matches over the summer. Kobbie Mainoo was invariably the first to leave the dressing room, walk through the mixed zone – eyes dead ahead, features impassive – and board the bus. It was as if he could not get out of the stadiums quick enough and the further England progressed the more pronounced it started to feel. There was a real gap between Mainoo and the next England player to depart the stadium in the knockout rounds . The Manchester United midfielder is inscrutable, even in the heat of battle. It is part of his enviably unflappable temperament. It was no great leap to imagine what lay behind the mask – tremendous frustration as Thomas Tuchel kept on leaving him out. Continue reading...