‘British humour made me smile’ – Tuchel enjoys fans’ chants

Thomas Tuchel said he accepted the pointed chants aimed in his direction by fans during the win over Latvia that secured England’s place at the World Cup.

The travelling England supporters targeted Tuchel with numerous songs throughout the game after the German manager criticised fans after last week’s win over Wales.

The England boss had said he felt underwhelmed by the home support at Wembley during Thursday’s 3-0 friendly win, comments that prompted a vocal response from England fans who made the trip to Riga.

And speaking after the 5-0 win in the Latvian capital that booked England’s place at the World Cup next summer, Tuchel said: “I got a bit of stick today in the first half, so fair enough. I take it in good humour, with a good sense of humour. I accept it.

“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 surely can take it. No harm done.”

On the impact of England’s fans between now and the World Cup, the England boss added: “It’s so important. They are here and I said the support in Serbia was brilliant. 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. This is also part of what we do.

“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 top performance from them today.”