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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Pa Sport Staff

Thomas Tuchel: England players well aware they were below-par against Andorra

Thomas Tuchel’s England face Senegal in a friendly on Tuesday night (Mike Egerton/PA) - (PA Wire)

England boss Thomas Tuchel says his players are well aware that they were below-par in their 1-0 victory over Andorra on Saturday.

Tuchel’s side came under criticism for their performance in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier, where Harry Kane scored the only goal in the second half.

Tuchel said: “I think there was common sense straight after in the dressing room.

“We all shared the same feeling. We have to look at the side, we created an xG of four. If you look at the sides who played Andorra, we had more xG than them but failed to convert chances, being clinical and our efficiency, accuracy in our chances.

“We underperformed clearly in the physical input in the game which you could see on the sideline and the data. We didn’t run enough.”

Tuchel admitted the performance did not match the standards he has been trying to set since he took over as England boss.

He added: “I protect my players, I said no names of players. We as a team didn’t match our standards.

“I didn’t like the last 10 minutes, I felt on the sidelines. We didn’t play seriously enough to win it in the end and what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier.

“Everything I say here I say to the players, why should I sugar coat? There is no harm done, we can have criticism and I believe a group of players in football can speak honestly to each other.

“I always include myself in that – now it’s on us to do better. The attitude towards training and the camp and commitment is outstanding. Everybody wanted to be there and be involved, they wanted to start and wanted to play. We will analyse and try to do better.”

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