Tuchel warns England are 'danger to themselves' but backs defence to fix errors against Czech Republic

Thomas Tuchel has conceded that England became a “danger to themselves” through individual errors in their defeat by Spain at Wembley on Saturday, but the head coach insists he retains full trust in his defenders ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic in Prague.

England conceded three goals against Spain, a result that means they have now shipped 13 goals across their last six matches — a stark contrast to the watertight qualifying campaign Tuchel oversaw in which his side did not concede once. They have kept just four clean sheets in 13 games in 2026.

Tuchel was pointed in identifying where the damage was done. Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly were both guilty of uncharacteristic errors in the build-up phases, and the England manager made clear the issue is technical rather than structural. “We suffered clearly from individual mistakes when we had the ball, especially in the deep build-up,” Tuchel said. “We have to be technically absolutely clinical also under pressure. We need to improve these things but, strangely enough, when we had the ball we were the biggest danger to ourselves around the box.”

Despite the alarm, Tuchel was emphatic that he does not see a systemic problem. “Purely in defending, I have no concerns and trust that we can do it. I didn’t see a pattern in defending. I think we defended very well in a block when we were organised, but we had just big individual mistakes.”

A notable statistical thread runs through England’s recent high-conceding games: in each of the last five matches in which they have let in three or more goals, Jordan Pickford has not been in goal. That list now includes Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson (twice), Nick Pope, and James Trafford, who started against Spain. Tuchel confirmed that Leeds goalkeeper Trafford will again start in Prague as part of an ongoing job share with Pickford.

On that arrangement, Tuchel said: “We use the Nations League to see where we are with the other goalkeepers. It is in this camp it’s Traff and Pickers and we absolutely know what he gives us and how he performs under pressure. He did nothing wrong. There was no reason from performances to open up this position for competition.”

Tuchel also addressed the potential involvement of Trent Alexander-Arnold without committing to a selection decision, noting that the Real Madrid midfielder continues to demonstrate his desire to represent England. Whether Alexander-Arnold’s attacking instincts make him a risk in a game where England need defensive solidity is a question Tuchel declined to answer directly, suggesting the squad will be assessed on its current form rather than reshuffled out of reaction to one difficult evening.