Tuchel targets response against Spain to silence World Cup criticism

LONDON: World champions Spain's visit to Wembley tomorrow is a painful reminder to England of what might have been, but Thomas Tuchel needs a positive response to silence criticism of how the Three Lions' World Cup ended.

Had England held out for the final five minutes plus stoppage time against Argentina two months ago, they would have met Spain in the World Cup final.

Instead, Tuchel's men conceded twice after he had attempted to batten down the hatches with a series of defensive substitutions.

"There's not much sense in torturing ourselves looking back," said Tuchel when announcing his squad for four Nations League games over the coming weeks.

But the German coach admitted he felt "unfulfilled" after failing to reach his target of a second star on the England jersey.

Bukayo Saka went even further on Wednesday by revealing "there's still a scar in us" over what happened in Atlanta.

"You try to move on as soon as possible, but you know, a scar is a scar (and) decides to heal when it heals itself," added the Arsenal forward.

Saka's non-inclusion, even off the bench, during the World Cup semi-final was one of the many reasons to question Tuchel's judgement.

Although troubled by fitness concerns during the tournament, Saka scored a hat-trick against France in a 6-4 victory to secure third place just days later.

Despite the criticism, Tuchel said his own interactions with supporters since the World Cup have been positive.

"Ninety-nine point nine per cent of the fans don't speak about substitutions, tactical twists, and tactical things," said Tuchel.

A capacity 90,000 crowd will be in attendance tomorrow, and Tuchel needs to give them reason to believe he is the man to lead England to a first major tournament win since 1966.

A home Euros in 2028 offers a perfect opportunity and potentially a final one for talismanic captain Harry Kane, who turned 33 earlier this year.

Spain's march to glory on the other side of the Atlantic proved they are the standard England must aspire to.

Luis de la Fuente's men last lost a competitive game, not including penalty shootouts, three-and-a-half years ago.

The Nations League will not scratch England's itch to win a major tournament, but it would be a major stepping stone and provide a launchpad towards the Euros.

Spain have reached at least the final of the last three editions of the competition, while England have made a semi-final only once and were even relegated to the second tier in the 2022-2023 campaign.