Tuchel reacts after England’s shock defeat to Senegal

By Femi Fabunmi

The manager of the Three Lions of England  Thomas Tuchel has  admitted his side looked “frozen” during a stunning 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal on Tuesday night but insisted there was no reason to panic with the World Cup still a year away.

Bayern Munich forward, Harry Kane gave England an early lead at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground with a close-range goal in the seventh minute.

However, the Teranga Lions of Senegal responded with strikes from Ismaïla Sarr, Habib Diarra, and substitute Cheikh Sabaly thus making them the first African nation ever to defeat England in over 21 years.

Tuchel, who made 10 changes following last weekend’s narrow 1-0 win over Andorra, saw his side booed off again by home fans.

A late effort from Jude Bellingham that might have rescued a draw was ruled out by VAR due to a handball by Levi Colwill.

Reflecting on the defeat, Tuchel said: “It felt a bit frozen — not active enough. But we lost a test match. There’s no reason to panic.”

He acknowledged the pressure of high expectations, especially following Gareth Southgate’s era of deep tournament runs: “Maybe the weight of expectation — to win, to win in style, to win comfortably — is holding us down.”

Tuchel also highlighted the difference in emotional intensity between the teams: “I heard Senegal’s dressing room. They were celebrating like it meant everything. I asked myself, would we do the same? Maybe we take it too much for granted.”

Despite the setback, he remained upbeat: “I see smiles and energy in training, and I believe in this team. We just need to translate that belief into our performances on the pitch.”

Tuchel already facing criticisms from many English football fans due to the results being churned out by the Three Lions in recent times.

It would be recalled that Tuchel began his reign as the coach of England in January 2025 after his stint with Chelsea and Bayern Munich