England manager Thomas Tuchel has candidly admitted that his squad was substandard in their slender 1-0 win against Andorra.
Despite securing three points on Saturday in the World Cup qualifier through Harry Kane's decider, Tuchel's men have faced flak for their tepid display.
The England coach expressed a clear assessment post-match, commenting: "I think there was common sense straight after in the dressing room.
"We all shared the same feeling. We have to look at the side, we created an xG of four. If you look at the sides who played Andorra, we had more xG than them but failed to convert chances, being clinical and our efficiency, accuracy in our chances."
He underscored the team's deficiency in vigour during play: "We underperformed clearly in the physical input in the game which you could see on the sideline and the data. We didn't run enough."
Tuchel didn't shy away from acknowledging that the standard of performance didn't align with the ethos he's been instilling since assuming leadership over England’s national team.
His protectionist stance towards his players remained firm as he shared: "I protect my players, I said no names of players. We as a team didn't match our standards."
Voicing his dissatisfaction, Tuchel further stated: "I didn't like the last 10 minutes, I felt on the sidelines. We didn't play seriously enough to win it in the end and what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier."
Unafraid of tough love, he maintained that straightforward dialogue within the team is essential: "Everything I say here I say to the players, why should I sugar coat? There is no harm done, we can have criticism and I believe a group of players in football can speak honestly to each other.
"I always include myself in that – now it's on us to do better. The attitude towards training and the camp and commitment is outstanding. Everybody wanted to be there and be involved, they wanted to start and wanted to play. We will analyse and try to do better."
