New manager Thomas Tuchel stated that Gareth Southgate’s England team was ‘more fearful’ of failing than eager to achieve success at Euro 2024.

Thomas Tuchel has expressed his belief that England’s performance during Euro 2024 was marred by a fear of defeat, rather than a desire to win. The German manager is keen for his side to approach the game with a renewed hunger and ambition.

The Three Lions are set to kick off their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign against Albania at Wembley on Friday, followed by a clash with Group K rivals Latvia on Monday. Despite reaching the final of Euro 2024, England faced criticism for their performances, ultimately falling short in a 2-1 defeat to Spain, which denied them a first major tournament victory since 1966.

In an interview with ITV, Tuchel noted that the players appeared more concerned about elimination than motivated to secure victory. “Not last summer, no,” he remarked when discussing England’s playing style. “The identity, the clarity, the repetition of patterns, the freedom of player, the expression of player, the hunger were missing.”

He continued, “They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament, in my observation, than having the excitement and hunger to win it. Excitement is the missing piece; that people feel that this is the team to beat.”

Despite their struggles, England showcased resilience, reaching the final with notable victories over Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. When pressed to clarify his comments in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Albania match, Tuchel stood firm.

“It was just my feeling, first of all it was my feeling in front of the TV, long before I knew I would be in charge,” he explained. “I think it is a pretty clear statement, and I don’t know how to put it in other words.”

Tuchel emphasized the need for a shift in mentality, stating, “I want us to play with the hunger and the excitement and the desire to win and the joy to win. The acceptance of failure is a part of it, especially in football. We want to implement this togetherness and the joy so everyone feels safe to express themselves and give their very best.”

He added, “We will play in a way that is recognisable, we play with a hunger and a joy to win and not with a fear of losing. Anything can happen in football, but the focus is on winning, it is on a higher number of touches in the opponent’s box, a higher number of high ball recoveries. This is where the focus is.”

Tuchel’s sentiments are echoed by England captain Harry Kane, who is eager to thrill the Wembley crowd on Friday night. “We spoke a lot about the counter-press when we lose the ball, especially attacking players having the responsibility to try and win it back as quick as we can,” Kane said.

He added, “I think we will build up and try to play out and have a lot of the ball, a lot of possession, and ultimately create a lot of chances. We have the team to do that, we have a lot of players in good form, and we have a lot of young players that bring a lot of energy to the team. Tomorrow night it will be down to us to do that – to excite the Wembley crowd.”