Soccer
Tuchel wants England to be great entertainers but winning is all that matters
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Thomas Tuchel would love nothing better than for England to put on a performance to remember against DR Congo.
With the exception of the 4-2 win over Croatia, the Three Lions have struggled to entertain at the World Cup.
A goalless draw with Ghana was something of a bore fest and the 2-0 win over Panama that secured top spot in Group L was not an easy watch.
But Tuchel insists his players always want to keep fans on the edge of their seats — even when their opponents make it tough to play free-flowing attacking football.
And the German is happy that more of England’s younger supporters will get to cheer on their heroes due to the last-32 fixture kicking off at noon in Atlanta and 5pm in the UK.
He said: “We’d love to entertain them. We don't know what's coming and I don't want to ruin expectations, because of course not everyone wants to play exciting football and front-foot football.
“But it can also be entertaining if you feel the spirit and the energy of the team.
“For everyone who is allowed to watch — because they have to go to bed normally [before our games] — hopefully they feel how much it means to this team.
“I see it every day, I feel it every day and hopefully we can transmit it through the TVs and make them proud and happy.”
Tuchel, 52, knows expectations are high but he will not allow his squad to take anything for granted against DR Congo.
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He added: “We expect a similar kind of game like we faced against Ghana and Panama. They’re a physical team, a quick team, a devoted team, very disciplined and well drilled.
“They’re very dangerous in counter-attacks, very direct in their approach and not shy to play long balls to make it a running game and a game of second balls.
“So that's basically what waits for us — physicality, counter-attack, directness — and they’ve already overachieved.
“I know from experience what it does to a team if you are already in the moment of overachieving and they have genuine belief in what they are doing. That makes them a difficult team to play against.
“But we have the team spirit, we have the commitment, we have the quality to turn half chances into chances and to decide this match in maybe a very few key moments.
“We have the quality, we have the trust, we have the belief. We respect our opponent and we accept the situation of knockout football.”
While the England faithful want something to shout about, there will be no complaints if Tuchel’s men only scrape through each knockout round.
After all, no one will worry about how the Three Lions performed along the way if 60 years of hurt come to an end in North America.
As Tuchel will tell you, winning is all that matters.
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