Thomas Tuchel has been labelled ‘arrogant’ for fielding an experimental line-up in England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
The Three Lions were denied victory at Wembley on Friday night after Federico Valverde levelled from the penalty spot in added time.
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Tuchel opted for a much-changed XI, with captain Harry Kane and regulars Marc Guehi, Declan Rice, Morgan Rodgers and Bukayo Saka all set to join up with the squad ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Japan.
Entering the couldron
England had taken an 81st-minute lead through Ben White who made his first appearance since implementing a self-imposed international exile after leaving the World Cup squad partway through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It was an eventful evening for the Arsenal defender who was introduced as a second-half substitute to a chorus of boos from sections of Wembley Stadium.
And after firing England into the lead, White was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Uruguay’s Federico Vinas in the box, leading to Valverde’s equaliser.
Disgruntlement from the stands at full-time was directed at the entire team, including Tuchel, with some players failing to take advantage of their World Cup audition.
eSPORTY’s Adrian Durham also provided a damning assessment of England’s display, handing out 2/10 ratings to three players on the night.
He also slammed Tuchel’s starting line-up and his handling of White’s return to the international stage.
‘Tuchel got it wrong’
“You’re asking football fans to pay a hefty ticket price to go and watch a team full of players, many of whom won’t be in the World Cup squad,” Durham told eSPORTY.
“For me it was the height of arrogance from England to think that they’ve got a friendly a couple of months out from the World Cup and Thomas Tuchel, the manager, can say to the senior players, to the best 11, ‘You don’t need to play in this one, we’ll be OK, we’ll be fine for the World Cup if you don’t practice together.’
“Do you really think that, mate? I’m not sure that’s true.
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“And on the Ben White thing, he’s completely not read the room. What Thomas Tuchel needs to do is understand England fans better, and I thought he would have done by now.
“He’s got a lot of positives, Thomas Tuchel, but this is a definite negative and it’s really counting against him.
“Last October when we played Wales, he had a go at the England crowd at Wembley for not producing an atmosphere, and then he picks Ben White.
“What does he think is gonna happen? Ben White’s gonna be booed.
“This is a guy who walked out on his teammates, he walked out on a World Cup squad, and we still don’t know (why).
“Nobody’s had decency, Ben White hasn’t come forward to tell the paying England fans who pay a fortune, by the way, to go worldwide to support their country and to back their players.
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“Nobody has told those fans why that happened and then he just waltzes straight back in.
“What did Thomas Tuchel think was gonna happen?”
Tuchel told eSPORTY on Thursday that White will engage in clear-the-air talks with senior members of the squad who were impacted by White’s abrupt exit from the Qatar World Cup.
The German then jumped to the Arsenal star’s defence when asked about the boos directed at him on Friday night.
Tuchel’s reaction to the booing of White
“I heard that he was booed,” Tuchel said in his post-match press conference. “I didn’t hear it actually on the field because I was involved in the changes and instructions, so I didn’t hear it so I think then it cannot be the majority.
“There were some boos and some mixed reception for him, which I am disappointed about because of course we protect our players and he was excellent in camp and he deserved to come on.
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“He deserved also to start and got us almost the winner, but I also understood that it happened to other players before here.
“He needs to take it on the chin. We will always protect him and hopefully we can put it behind [us] because he is ready to write some new chapters and we are ready to give him the chance, so hopefully everyone can move on and accept it.”
Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson urged White to shrug off the resentment after he was also subject of discontent from the stands following his controversial move to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.
“I have been through it myself, but that is part and parcel of being an England player,” said Henderson.
“Some of the fans probably don’t even know why they are booing, they listen to what is being said in the media, and a lot of the time what the media says isn’t true.
“Not many people know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar and it is for us to deal with internally.
“Ben has been good since he came back in and we will support him as team-mates.
“A few of us have been there, it is difficult when it is you, but you have to try not to take it too personally, the media can spin things in certain ways, which isn’t always the truth and then fans can pick up on that and think it is the truth.
“It is really difficult when that happens, so it is important for us to make sure he is OK, which I am sure he is. I was delighted he got on and got a goal, which is the most important thing.”
