Thomas Tuchel inspired England’s 4-2 victory against Croatia by unleashing fury from the touchline and delivering a rousing half-time speech to his ‘nervous’ stars.
The German manager’s mixture of fiery rage and cold calculation fired up the Three Lions and saw them win their first World Cup match – after being level at 2-2 at half-time.
Two first-half goals from Harry Kane, a strike from Jude Bellingham shortly after the break, and a late bonus from substitute Marcus Rashford sent the nation delirious.
And Tuchel’s impassioned behaviour – a side to his character which has strained relationships in the past – has been credited with helping England to win.
Early in the first half, he laid into goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for not following his instructions and held his ground even as the Everton star protested.
‘You know what you’re supposed to do, do as I told you,’ Tuchel reportedly said as he laid down the law to the experienced stopper, who is known for his own outbursts.
Thomas Tuchel laid down the law to his England stars to help inspired their win over Croatia
The England manager fire ffurious instructions to his players from the touchline in Dallas
He put goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in his place as England beat Croatia 4-2
Fox Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves said: ‘Just now Jordan Pickford was on his left side and off-balance and still picked up.
‘Thomas Tuchel was straight out to the touchline and said “no, put it out to the right back, you don’t go that side”.
‘Pickford had a little go back and Tuchel was not impressed. He told him: “You know what you’re supposed to do, do as I told you!”‘
Tuchel also subjected winger Noni Madueke to a fierce correction within the opening few minutes of his first World Cup match.
Not long after Kane had given England the lead via a penalty, he called over the Arsenal winger and commanded him to push higher up the pitch.
Tuchel stormed right over to the edge of the pitch and had Madueke stand within a couple of feet as he delivered his instructions. He was conducting himself in such a vehement way that he had to be calmed down.
TalkSPORT reporter Faye Carruthers said on their commentary: ‘He has been so animated throughout the first 20 minutes.
‘He brought over Madueke at one point, just after he won the penalty, and told him to get higher up the pitch.
Tuchel was livid that photographers blocked his view of his squad during the national anthem
While he ranted on the touchline, he delivered a calm half-time speech in the dressing room
‘Anthony Barry [his assistant] had to calm him down at one point.’
It seems that Tuchel had been riled even before the match had begun.
The former Chelsea manager, in his first international job, has demanded that football’s global governing body FIFA change the photography rules.
He was irate that photographers blocked his view of his players during the national anthem, which he did not sing.
‘I have to tell you something, I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem,’ he said.
‘I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience.
‘It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion.’
Tuchel has long been known for his temper. In his time as a youth coach, he was known to lash out at certain less talented players when they were unable to carry out his instructions.
At Borussia Dortmund, the combustible boss once made a player called Emre Mor crawl on his hands and knees across the training ground pitch as a punishment for his apparent poor work ethic.
‘Shut your mouth! Shut your mouth! Shut your mouth!’ he shouted.
At Chelsea, after defeats against Brentford and Real Madrid, he revealed how he was furious throughout the night and had to eat inordinate amounts of chocolate as he tried to calm himself down.
He has had high-profile relational breakdowns with top players such as Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku, and Mats Hummels.
However, he also knows when to have ice in his veins – and demonstrated that in Dallas on Wednesday night.
At half-time, moments after England conceded a second goal, Tuchel allowed the players to have some quiet time before launching into stirring speech.
‘I told them that my perception of them and of the last 17 days will not change with this result,’ he later explained.
‘I said that no matter what the result is, I want them to do it their way, our way. I want them to be brave, courageous, intense, on the front foot, and do it together, and just go for it, and, and try to take it, and be active.’
Kane said of his speech: ‘He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and let’s go. He said what’s the worst that can happen? Show the world who we can be.’
Bellingham added: ‘It wasn’t one of those where it was a big drama or standing up and shouting; it was what the team needed.
‘We have a mature group with great leaders in there; everyone knew the level we had to get to. The start of the second half gave us a great platform.’
Tuchel’s management of Bellingham may well be a masterstroke. In October he left the Real Madrid superstar out of his England squad and he has insisted that big names will not get special treatment.
His firm management of Bellingham, including giving his attacking midfield rival Morgan Rogers plenty of game time, and saying his mother finds his sometimes moody behaviour ‘repulsive’, seems to have brought the best out of him.
Bellingham rewarded Tuchel with a fine goal within two minutes of the second half starting, showing how carefully he had listedn at the break.
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