Liam Duckstein
Tuchel laments “silent” Wembley after England beat Wales 3-0
Thomas Tuchel stopped short of blaming the players after England‘s 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley, but he was blunt about the crowd.
The hosts raced into a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes through goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka. Yet the second half felt flat, and Tuchel said the home support never lifted.
“The stadium was silent. Silent. We never got any energy back from the stands.”
Speaking to ITV Sport the England manager underlined that the team had given plenty to provoke a response.
“I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the stands. It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half. We did excellent, we deserved to win.”
He pressed the point again when asked if he expected more from supporters.
“Yes. What more can you give them? Twenty minutes, three goals. The way we attacked Wales and we didn’t let them escape.
If you hear for half an hour [it was] just Wales fans. It’s a bit sad because I think the team deserved big support.”
Tuchel, 52, has won six of his seven games since taking charge in January. His only defeat came in a friendly against Senegal. England had been in strong scoring form, netting eight goals across their previous two outings, including a 5-0 win over Serbia in a World Cup qualifier.
Later in his post-match news conference he returned to the theme of atmosphere and what the crowd offered on the night.
“I love English football and I love English football fans and the support they give, but I think the atmosphere did not match the performance on the field.
We had excellent support in Serbia, but [here] we were 3-0 up after 20 minutes, we had ball win after ball win after ball win and I felt like why is the roof still on the stadium? That’s just it, it’s nothing big.
We will do everything again to be infectious, there’s no problem. I’m sure we will get everyone going – it is on us. But tonight I was a little underwhelmed.”
Former England defender Stephen Warnock, part of the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary team, said he understood Tuchel’s frustration and urged fans to stay committed.
“The performance warranted a good response from the fans. It’s disappointing he’s felt that.”
Warnock suggested organisers and fan groups might try to cluster supporters to spark pockets of singing, particularly ahead of major tournaments.
Reaction on social media was mixed. Some fans agreed that Wembley struggles to generate the same atmosphere as regional grounds or away days. Others warned Tuchel not to alienate supporters over a single friendly.
Tuchel said the onus remains with the team to be “infectious” and that they will try to get more from the stands in future matches.