‘We will keep on pushing’: Tuchel insists England can beat world’s best despite Spain setback

Thomas Tuchel remains confident England can triumph against the world's premier teams, despite a recent 3-2 loss to Spain. The world champions faced their first defeat in three-and-a-half years as England led 2-1 at halftime but squandered a chance to extend their advantage when Harry Kane’s penalty struck the woodwork. England fell victim to two defensive errors that conceded Spain's first two goals.

Marc Guehi was dispossessed by Lamine Yamal for Spain's opener, and Nico O’Reilly’s inaccurate pass triggered Alex Baena’s equalizer. Mikel Oyarzabal sealed the comeback with a winning goal, mirroring his performance in the Euro 2024 final.

England's defeat leaves them with a dismal record of just six wins out of their last 16 matches against teams ranked in FIFA's top 10. Thomas Tuchel, who was not in charge during those matches, attributed their loss to a high number of clear mistakes on their part. The German coach emphasized that the team had ample opportunities to convert their ball-losses into clear chances during the final 20 minutes.

Tuchel sought to quell critics following a series of defensive substitutions in England's loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. However, he acknowledged that his team still struggles to consistently perform for the full 90 minutes. Despite this setback, Tuchel expressed his team's determination to continue pushing forward.

He noted that England previously demonstrated their capability to succeed in tournaments, and while the result did not reflect their effort, he believed their performance was sufficient to secure the victory.

England now faces a challenging schedule, with a double header against the Czech Republic followed by a trip to Croatia over the next ten days.