Thomas Tuchel voiced his disappointment with the home fans after England’s convincing 3-0 friendly victory over Wales at Wembley. Despite an explosive opening spell, the atmosphere inside the stadium did not reflect the team’s dominant display.
“The stadium was silent. Silent. We never got any energy back from the stands,” the England manager told ITV Sport after the match. Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka all struck within the first 20 minutes to give the hosts a commanding lead, but the intensity faded in the second half.
Tuchel felt his players had done enough to generate a stronger reaction. “I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the stands,” he said. “It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half. We did excellent, we deserved to win.”
When asked if he expected a better response from the supporters, he answered plainly: “Yes. What more can you give them? Twenty minutes, three goals. The way we attacked Wales, and we didn’t let them escape. If you hear for half an hour, [it was] just Wales fans. It’s a bit sad because I think the team deserved big support.”
Manager reflects on atmosphere in post-match comments
The 52-year-old has guided England to six wins from seven matches since taking charge in January, with their only loss coming against Senegal in a friendly. His side have netted eight times in their past two fixtures, following last month’s 5-0 demolition of Serbia in a World Cup qualifier.
Tuchel later expanded on his thoughts during his press conference. “I love English football, and I love English football fans and the support they give, but I think the atmosphere did not match the performance on the field,” he said.
“We had excellent support in Serbia, but [here] we were 3-0 up after 20 minutes, we had ball win after ball win after ball win, and I felt like, why is the roof still on the stadium? That’s just it, it’s nothing big. We will do everything again to be infectious, there’s no problem. I’m sure we will get everyone going — it is on us. But tonight I was a little underwhelmed.”
Pundit backs Tuchel’s assessment of home support
Former England defender Stephen Warnock, part of BBC Radio 5 Live’s commentary team, sympathized with Tuchel’s stance. He said the atmosphere was noticeably in favor of the visiting supporters during the broadcast.
“We’re in a booth, so we can’t gauge the atmosphere, but it was mentioned on our commentary about the atmosphere a few times how good the Wales fans were,” Warnock said. “To be honest with you, you have to agree if that’s what he’s feeling. The performance warranted a good response from the fans. It’s disappointing he’s felt that.”
Despite the criticism, Warnock believes the manager will maintain the backing of the fanbase. “Is this a negative? It depends on how you interpret it as a fan. Whether you take it the wrong way or whether you think you can do more and back the team more. It’s very difficult in international football, obviously,” he explained.
He suggested practical steps could be taken to improve engagement. “Maybe there needs to be more done behind the scenes to be able to create pockets of fan groups together where you can actually start the atmosphere going and get the songs going,” he added.
“But if it was me and I was sitting in the stands and that comment was made, I’d be thinking about what more I could do to help the team. Fans do help you, and they do give you that energy. At the World Cup it’s important those small pockets are all together and all singing from the same hymn sheet. Maybe it is something that they can look at, and they can help the team.”
