England booked their place at next summer’s World Cup after thumping Latvia 5-0 in Riga, with the travelling fans issuing a retort to the Three Lions boss after he questioned their support
England fans mocked Thomas Tuchel on the night they booked their World Cup place. The 2,000 travelling supporters chanted: “Thomas Tuchel, we sing when we want” after the England boss claimed the Wembley crowd was too quiet against Wales last week.
But Tuchel took it in good heart after Harry Kane ’s double ensured England reached the United States next summer with two games to spare.
England boss Tuchel said: “They had a reason today from my last comments and I guess that’s fair enough. I got a bit of stick and I found it quite creative. It made me smile and this is how it has to be. It’s British humour and I can take it. No harm done.”
Tuchel believes the fans will be crucial to his team’s chances next summer as he toasted qualification.
READ MORE: Harry Kane breaks silence on England fan chants after Thomas Tuchel controversy
He said: “The support today was brilliant and we are very sure the support in America will be absolutely brilliant. We need it. It makes such a difference if you go out as a player or as a coach and you see the fans behind the team and singing.
“We want to make them proud, we want to make them happy. They should be happy to watch us and they should be able to identify with how we play. We are on our way to build something and it was a top performance from them today.”
Kane gave a stirring speech in the dressing room after the game and Tuchel said the players are growing in belief they can go all the way.
Tuchel added: “I need to enjoy this moment. I can feel it in the dressing-room. It is a very special moment. It’s not daily business that you qualify for a World Cup. We will then think about how this affects our next camp.
“Harry (Kane) just gave a speech when he said that everyone will be ready to keep this thing going in November, that no-one will step back and take this thing for granted. They feel they’re building something.
“Maybe it will give us the chance to try some stuff and manage minutes, but I can assure we will stay competitive no matter how we organise these two (qualifying) matches.
“We want to win both, we owe it to ourselves and our fans. We need to keep the thing going. What we build is very precious and we will not gamble on it.”
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