England manager Thomas Tuchel says he wants the team to play with a “hunger to win” and not “a fear to lose” as he prepares for his first match in charge of the Three Lions on Friday.
England begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Albania at Wembley before facing Latvia on Monday.
Under former boss Gareth Southgate, England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but Tuchel was critical of their style of play at Euro 2024.
“I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players. They were playing to not lose,” Tuchel said in a news conference on Thursday.
“I want us to play with excitement and the hunger and desire to win…and the acceptance of failure is part of it, especially in football.”
England lost the Euro 2021 final to Italy before missing out again against Spain four years later.
Southgate was criticised by some for a perceived safety-first style at Euro 2024, where England scraped past Serbia in the group stage before drawing against Denmark and Slovenia.
Wins against Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands followed in the knockout stage but Southgate came under fire for being unable to get the best out of a star-studded squad.
More to follow.
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