England head coach Thomas Tuchel hit out at “silent” fans for not sufficiently backing his team during the 3-0 victory against Wales.
The Three Lions had their first match of this month’s international break on Thursday night as they faced Wales in a friendly at Wembley.
England initially struggled following the appointment of Tuchel, but they came to life in last month’s international break in a statement 5-0 win against Serbia.
And Tuchel’s side followed this up with another superb performance against Wales, hammering Craig Bellamy’s team 3-0 via goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka.
England were utterly dominant in all departments and should have won even more comfortably, but this result and performance is another step in the right direction ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Despite this, Tuchel had a dig at England’s supporters after the final whistle and made a fresh comment on Jude Bellingham.
“We had one and a half training days to prepare against a well-trained team and we did very well,” Tuchel said on ITV.
READ: England player ratings v Wales: Saka stars; Rogers, Gordon and Spence among big winners
“We could have been 5-0 up at half-time. We couldn’t score the fourth and fifth ones. The stadium was silent. We didn’t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win.”
When pressed on whether he expected more from the fans, he added: “Yes. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn’t let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it’s sad because the team deserved more support today.”
Tuchel also reserved praise for Rogers and insisted that they “need” to learn how to “play without” Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
“He is what he is. He is a number 10 and he is competing for his place. He is in a good way,” he said.
“We are ready for any team effort. Serbia was the next example of teamwork. We created a lot of chances.
“We could use Harry all the time, but we need to play without Harry and Jude – the guys are injured. I think we played an excellent first half.”
MORE ENGLAND COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Tuchel justifies Bellingham decision to silence Keane as two England stars primed to start at World Cup
👉 Bellingham a genuine doubt for World Cup 2026 after Tuchel quotes New England Patriots documentary
👉 England: Tuchel sends message to Arsenal star to fix one ‘major issue’ with Bellingham-esque verdict
Rogers, meanwhile, insisted he cannot be comfortable with his position due to the quality at England’s disposal.
“Right at the top. It’s a proud moment to do it at home too in a home nation derby. A dream come true,” Rogers said.
“The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role.”
