‘British humour made me smile’ – Tuchel enjoys fans’ chants

Thomas Tuchel says he accepts harsh chants from fans during England’s win over Latvia that secured their place in the World Cup.

After the German manager criticized the fans after the win against Wales last week, fans traveling around England targeted Tuchel with numerous songs throughout the match.

The England manager said he felt shortchanged by the home support at Wembley during Thursday’s 3-0 friendly win, comments that sparked a vocal reaction from England fans traveling to Riga.

Speaking after the 5-0 win in the Latvian capital, which will replace England at next summer’s World Cup, Tuchel said: “I was a little harsh in the first half today, that’s fair enough. I accept that with good humour. I accept that.

“From my last words today, they had a reason, and I guess that’s fair enough.

“I took some stick and found it quite creative. It made me smile and that’s the way it should be. It’s British humor and I can totally stand it. It doesn’t hurt.”

Commenting on the impact of England fans between now and the World Cup, the England manager added: “It’s very important. They are here and I said the support in Serbia was excellent. The support today was fantastic and we are very confident that the support in America will be absolutely excellent. We need that.”

“It makes a big difference as a player or coach when you step on the field and see the fans singing behind the team. It’s part of what we do.

“We want to make them proud, we want to make them happy. They should be happy to watch us and understand how we play.

“Today we are on the path to making things out of them and getting the best performance out of them.”