Thomas Tuchel expressed relief and pride after England overcame a tricky first half to secure a 4-2 victory against Croatia in their opening match of the World Cup on Wednesday night.
The England manager admitted the team started slowly under pressure but showed real character after the break. He explained how his half-time words helped spark a stronger performance that led to the win.
“We encouraged them to play with more courage, be brave and be ourselves,” Tuchel told BBC Sport. He was clearly satisfied with how his players responded to that message on the pitch.
Tuchel described the overall feeling after the game as one of happiness mixed with relief. He noted the high stakes of the first match and the quality of the opponent, who rank among the top 10 teams in the world.
“It is a big opponent and a top 10 team in the world. We wanted to prove a point and it was quite emotional. Up and down and took a while to settle in, especially in the first half,” he said. Tuchel pointed out issues with decision-making, passing, and pressing that made the opening 45 minutes difficult. He added that the team sometimes sat back to protect leads instead of pushing forward.
The manager was particularly pleased with the second-half turnaround. “So I am very happy about the result and also the second half, because we showed a good reaction and the players went for it and played with courage and played with intensity, and we played on the front foot. We created a lot of chances and scored some great goals,” Tuchel said. His comments highlighted the shift to a more attacking and connected style of play.
On Jude Bellingham’s contribution, Tuchel made it clear the midfielder was a key figure. He mentioned the tough choice to leave out Morgan Rogers but praised Bellingham for playing as part of a team rather than trying to do everything alone.
“It is an easy decision to have Jude in the team. It is a very difficult decision to leave Morgan Rogers out for what he did for us, for Villa and also, especially for me since I was in charge,” Tuchel said. “That was a tough one, but I am very happy with how Jude played, because Jude knows that he does not have to do it alone. He can rely on others, he thrives in these circumstances, and we know that. He can be more economic and rely on others. He needs to be a reliable team player, which he absolutely was. So, well done.”
Tuchel also gave credit to the players who came off the bench. “The guys from the bench were amazing. We can rely on them at the moment, and it has to stay like this for next week as we will need everyone,” he said. This underlined the strength in depth within the current England squad.
England captain Harry Kane echoed the manager’s thoughts on the game’s turning point. “The first half was pretty even. We were disappointed the way we conceded especially the second goal,” Kane told Fox Sports. He revealed Tuchel’s simple but effective half-time message encouraged the players to free themselves up.
“The boss at half-time said to ‘let the shackles off, what’s the [worst] that could happen? We came out with real intensity. That’s how we want to play. That’s the level we need to reach. We’re in a really good place as a squad physically. We had too much for a great team who will be here towards the end of the tournament,” Kane added.
England will face Ghana on June 23, while Croatia will play against Panama on June 24 in their second fixture of the group stage.
