Watkins praises Tuchel's demanding style for England

Striker Ollie Watkins commented that Thomas Tuchel is not afraid to shout at his England players as the manager seeks to maintain high training standards at the World Cup. The Aston Villa player spoke at England's Kansas City training base and was asked about Tuchel's coaching style and how he motivates his players. "I think he's not afraid to yell at you. He's always pushing your hardest and making sure you're focused every day," Watkins said.

Tuchel was filmed calling on Tottenham defender Djed Spence to "wake up" during training as the England squad prepare for their second game of the tournament against Ghana on Tuesday (9pm BST).

"It was lucky it wasn't me. I think I made a mistake right before Djed, but he ended up yelling at Djed, thank goodness," Watkins said. "It shows that he is a winner and is always raising standards, making sure we are ready. That's what we need when the aim is to win the World Cup. [Tuchel is] very demanding, but when he is in camp he is very relaxed and calm."


Tuchel won the Champions League as Chelsea manager in 2021 and league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Spence was named in the 26-man squad despite Tottenham's fight against relegation. The 25-year-old is well regarded by Tuchel for his versatility, and following the departure of Tino Livramento due to injury, Spence should be the first choice for the left-back and right-back positions.

Despite being called out during training, Spence said the coach's words are expected from someone who is a proven winner. "I probably missed one of the zones to go to and he just told me to wake up," Spence told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's normal, you know. He's an elite coach - he demands the highest quality from his players, and we want to return that quality too. So, it's very normal in training sessions, to be honest."

Spence came on for the final 10 minutes of England's 4-2 victory over Croatia and had a chance to score in their World Cup-winning debut. “I think I have a good relationship with him,” Spence said of Tuchel. "He talks to me sometimes before and after training - he reminds me of what I need to do, my minutes and the qualities I have. I can say that I have a good relationship with him, and I think he is a great coach.",

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