'The fans were silent' - Thomas Tuchel says England 'deserved more support' in friendly win against Wales at Wembley
Updated 10/10/2025 at 10:34 GMT+1
England were comfortable winners over Wales at Wembley after a rampant opening 20 minutes saw the hosts take a 3-0 lead. There were no more goals to follow, and manager Thomas Tuchel gave a candid assessment of the atmosphere. Tuchel also praised the quality of his side's performance on a night when Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scored his first England goal.
‘Why is the roof still on the stadium?’ - Tuchel questions England support in Wales win
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England manager Thomas Tuchel bemoaned the atmosphere at Wembley after his side beat Wales 3-0 in Thursday's friendly.
Goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka inside 20 minutes meant The Three Lions cruised to victory and made it six wins from seven games under Tuchel.
The German was happy with England's performance but wanted more noise from the home supporters, and acknowledged the vocal travelling contingent of Wales fans.
"We had one and a half training days to prepare against a well-trained team and we did very well," Tuchel told ITV after the game.
"We could have been 5-0 up at half-time. We couldn't score the fourth and fifth ones.
"The stadium was silent. We didn't get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win."
Asked whether he expected more from the fans, Tuchel said: "Yes. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn't let them [Wales] escape.
"If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it's sad because the team deserved more support today."
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Tuchel reiterated his complaints when speaking later in the evening to BBC Radio 5 Live,
"I stand by this statement," Tuchel said. "We cannot do more than being 3-0 [ahead] in a derby.
"I would have wished for a bit more support in phases where it gets difficult. In the second half to get behind us, there was a bit too much support for Wales.
"It could have helped us to regain energy, but it is what it is and that is it."
Tuchel elaborated on England's performance, highlighting the progress of his side ahead of next week's World Cup qualifier in Latvia.
"We only had one and a half days to prepare against a complicated opponent. To shut them down in the way we shut them down demands a lot of effort," he said.
"The team bought into these ideas, and they made the effort for each other. So I am very pleased with the performance.
"We should have scored more in the first half. We could have scored in the second half, but we didn't.
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"They had a lot of changes, and we had a lot of changes, and it cost us a little bit with the rhythm, but overall, the next step in the right direction.
"We now have a day off, and we will enjoy the feeling. The players truly know what they put into the game for it to look like that.
"The spirit, the mindset is right, so they love to play this kind of football. It is a brave approach, and it takes a lot of effort, but they are happy to do that.
"We are nearly playing like a club team – very flexible, but staying true to our structure. Everyone buys into their role and is ready to do invisible work and help each other. I am very happy with the next step."
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Tuchel also reserved praise for individuals, crediting the performances of Rogers - who scored his first England goal - and Elliot Anderson, as well as Declan Rice.
"First of all they're very good players and they love to play with each other," Tuchel said. "Declan is on an extraordinary level at club and international level.
"Really outstanding, the intelligence, the work ethic and the volume Declan puts into every game is just outstanding.
"Morgan and Elliot are humble players and very talented and that is a very good mix."
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