Daniel Wales reports as England Head Coach Thomas Tuchel criticised the lack of atmosphere at Wembley from England fans as the Three Lions eased to a 3-0 victory over Wales.
00:00A blistering opening 20 minutes from England saw them defeat Neighbours Wales by three goals to nil, as rivalries were renewed at Wembley Stadium, with the three Lions coming out on top against the Dragon.
00:14The game was all but over after that opening 20-minute spell from England. Their rivals Wales looked dejected, whereas the three Lions were full of confidence. Thomas Tuchel is building a side that will be ready for the World Cup in the summer, and at present he is doing so without several big names who graced the England squad in the European Championships last year.
00:40They will have to earn their places back, and after another good display against Wales, that will certainly not be an easy task. Of course, there are further opportunities for those names to get back in the England squad, but according to Tuchel's ethos, they will have to earn it for themselves. So let's go back through the game to see how it happened.
01:01As international friendlies go, the build-up to England versus Wales did provide more edge than usual. However, when Morgan Rodgers found the net from a corner just minutes into the match, that edge started to dwindle.
01:17And it was all but gone when Ollie Watkins tapped home from close range to make it 2-0.
01:24England's third goal of the evening came after just 20 minutes, when Bukayo Saka, drifting in off the right wing, curled past Carl Darlow in the Welsh net.
01:34On the touchline, Craig Bellamy looked shell-shocked, much like a lot of his players on the pitch.
01:40With the outcome all but decided by half-time, Wales opted mainly for damage limitation in the second half, and they did create some of their own openings, whilst England were unable to add to their tally, with Thomas Tuchel slightly frustrated with the lack of atmosphere from the home fans.
01:57First of all, I said the support in Serbia was absolutely fantastic. When we played last time in Serbia, I said it and I meant it.
02:06I love English football and I love English football fans and the support they give, but I think today the atmosphere did not match the performance on the field.
02:17Just following on from that, Thomas, you went away to the Belgrade Bear Pit, I think it was called.
02:23There was a hostile, passionate crowd from the Welsh travelling fans tonight.
02:30What have you learnt from your players about how they react to hostile atmospheres in matches?
02:39I felt it more demanding to play in Serbia, but we managed that well.
02:46Also today, I think the support was...
02:50I heard the support for the Welsh team throughout the whole match.
02:53But it had no effect on us, we played with a lot of effort.
03:00We played very smart, we only had one and a half days to prepare a very complicated opponent,
03:06because they are very well drilled and very well coached, even in the deep build-up.
03:11So we still wanted to play a high pressing, we wanted to have a lot of ball wins and we had it.
03:18The first 20 minutes were tough.
03:23It's a very difficult place to come without starting the way we did.
03:31It made it very difficult for ourselves against, as we know, a very good opposition.
03:38With their intensity, physicality, they were able to push through that as well.
03:48And also, it was a tough period, I have to be honest.
03:55It was a tough period in the game.
03:59Not a tough period in life, Geraint, so be careful what you say.
04:02Yeah, no, it was all good.
04:03But in that period it was.
04:05We had to suffer a lot of pain.
04:07England and the FA probably know that the World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico in 2026
04:21will be the only major international tournament that Thomas Tuchel is in charge of the Three Lions for.
04:27And Tuchel is certainly doing things his way.
04:30He was not afraid to criticise the lack of atmosphere from England fans at Wembley.
04:34And at present, he's not been afraid to leave out big names from the England squad.
04:39The World Cup is now drawing ever closer, but England are looking more coherent.
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