Roy Keane, a former midfielder who is now a commentator, thinks Thomas Tuchel was “harsh” in his evaluation of Gareth Southgate’s England team and their performance at Euro 2024. They lacked “excitement” and a “hunger to win,” according to the German tactician.
With a 2-0 victory over Albania on Friday night, Tuchel’s tenure as manager of Wembley Stadium got off to a great start. Myles Lewis-Skelly, making his debut, and Harry Kane, who scored his 70th Three Lions goal, both scored goals in the capital.
However, the 51-year-old, who is only the third non-Englishman to assume the position, caused controversy with his remarks prior to facing Albania. He responded as follows when asked if the 1966 World Cup champions had a “clear playing style” at Euro 2024:
“No, not last summer.” “The identity, the clarity, the rhythm, the repetition of patterns,” he remarked, describing what was lacking. the players’ freedom, their expressiveness, and their hunger. I noticed that instead than being excited and hungry to win the competition, they were more scared to withdraw..
England supporters responded well to the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper’s remarks, but Keane, who is considered to be among the best midfielders in Premier League history, sprang to the support of England’s manager for eight years.
“Obviously they won a few football games over there, and there were a lot of teams that had a good identity, but they came back before England,” he remarked, adding that it seemed a little difficult. “They need to perform; it’s all well and good to talk a good game.”
Although it seems a little harsh on Gareth (Southgate), I understand his point of view. They had a particular style of play and received a lot of criticism despite winning football games, but I still believe that we shouldn’t discount Gareth’s excellent work with England.
Ian Wright, Keane’s right-hand man and a former line-leader for Arsenal and Crystal Palace, leapt to the support of England’s current leader in an attempt to bring some balance. “I think he’s just very honest, brutally honest about what he was saying, even though it’s his second language.”
We switched up our midfield around three times, so perhaps that’s what he’s looking at. The way he has described it doesn’t seem very good, but I believe he was correct—we didn’t (have a defined style),” Tuchel, who was born in Krumbach, added.
We weren’t entirely sure how we were going to play, but by the time we reached the final, we knew exactly how Spain would play. Perhaps that is what he was talking about.
"It seems a bit harsh on Gareth [Southgate], but I know where he's coming from" 🗣
Roy Keane & @IanWright0 reflect on Thomas Tuchel's comments regarding England at their last tournament #ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/Y2PUrkqV1M
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 21, 2025
The goal of Tuchel, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers in the world, is to win the 2026 World Cup in North America. He would surpass Southgate’s exploits in terms of the quantity of trophies won, but he still has a ways to go in terms of influence.
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