Gary Lineker slams Thomas Tuchel claim about England fans: ‘Complete nonsense’ | Football
Gary Lineker has dismissed England manager Thomas Tuchel’s recent claims about what fans have told him as ‘complete nonsense’.
The Three Lions take on Spain at Wembley on Saturday in their first game since finishing third at the World Cup over the summer.
England were denied a first World Cup final appearance since 1966 after a heartbreaking last minute loss to Argentina in the United States.
Tuchel’s tactics in the semi-final defeat were widely panned, specifically the decision to sub on multiple defenders and park the bus almost immediately after Anthony Gordon had given the team the lead early in the second-half.
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It is still a point on contention for fans, pundits and even some players, yet Tuchel has claimed he has heard very little to no backlash on the matter from supporters.
‘99.9 per cent of the fans don’t talk about substitutions, tactical tweaks or tactical details,’ the German said in a press conference last week, as he announced his squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.
‘They speak about where they watched the Mexico game, and they speak about the second-half energy of the Croatia match.
‘They speak about how nerve-racking it was to watch our match against Congo and where they celebrated. This is the feedback I get. This is what we created, and how it should be.
‘This is what a World Cup is for: to connect with people and give them experiences they do not forget.
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‘It makes me proud; it makes me happy. Even if it’s just in a cab, at a coffee shop or in the supermarket, you share these little moments and understand that it actually meant something.
‘It showed that what the players built was transmitted, and it’s what we want to build on.’
It’s safe to say Tuchel’s comments have raised eyebrows, with England legend Lineker telling the Rest is Football: ‘I thought that was complete nonsense!
‘Absolutely everyone was talking about that at the time and everyone had their question marks about his substitutions!
Are you still annoyed about Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup tactics?
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Yes, they haunt my dreams
‘And then to just dismiss it and [say] “No, the only thing that people remember are a couple of goals against Croatia and that great game against Mexico”. I thought that was a bit odd.’
Former Three Lions defender Micah Richards agreed and theorised that Tuchel had a plan behind the comments, adding: ‘He’s trying to deflect, isn’t he? He knows full well [he made a mistake].
‘But we’re talking about his comments. So, he’s done exactly what we want him to do. He knows what we’re all going to do.
‘I think the Mexico game was amazing. It really was and it was one of the best especially in my lifetime for the boys to go to the Azteca and do what they did. So, he is right.
‘But on the other hand, he was brought in to win the World Cup, wasn’t he?’
Tuchel has a chance to win back any disgruntled fans and a win over world champions Spain would be a good start. England also take on the Czech Republic twice and Croatia during the extended international break.
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