The German press did not hold back in their appraisal of England’s performance after the Three Lions defeated minnows Andorra on Saturday.
In January Thomas Tuchel commenced his duties as national team head coach, succeeding Gareth Southgate as permanent manager and, in doing so, becoming the first German to hold the position.
The former Chelsea boss enjoyed a positive start to life in his new role, as England comfortably saw off Albania and Latvia to get their qualification campaign for next year’s World Cup underway.
On paper, Saturday’s clash at the RCDE Stadium offered Tuchel an opportunity to experiment with his side against a team of part-timers that had lost their six previous meetings with England by an aggregate score of 26-0.
However, far from being a workmanlike summer stroll England largely failed to impose themselves on the game as Andorra effectively kept them at bay before Harry Kane’s second-half winner.
The uninspiring performance earned jeers from supporters in the stands and Tuchel has been subject to yet more criticism following the game from his own country’s media.
Thomas Tuchel has come under fire in the German media after England’s insipid win over Andorra
England maintained their perfect start to qualifying courtesy of Harry Kane’s second-half strike
The report claimed that the frustration from England’s lacklustre showing was evident during the game
In a report on Saturday German outlet Bild wrote of the game that a ‘dwarf almost brought a lion to its knees’ and described England’s performance as ‘lacklustre’.
Bayern Munich talisman Kane was exempted from criticism by the publication, as it noted the striker’s 72nd international goal brought England ‘salvation’.
The stresses of what was ostensibly an easy task for Tuchel before ultimately proving to be a significant test are said to have been clear on the manager’s face as he attempted to rally his team into action from the touchline.
Speaking following the game Tuchel admitted his players had suffered from a lack of energy but insisted that there were positives to take from the performance.
‘I think in the end, we played with fire, honestly,’ he said.
‘I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favourite does not smell the danger. I didn’t feel a team that was aware it was only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Step by step the energy dropped when we needed exactly the opposite.
‘But we couldn’t deliver and so we got away with a win. I think we still deserved the win and we’ve got three wins and three clean sheets.
‘We will not stop encouraging them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them.’
