The England team defeated Albania 2-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals for the 2024-2025 season at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on the 22nd (Korea time). With goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane, Tuchel marked his first victory in charge with a good start, but the atmosphere after the match was unexpectedly heavy. At the center of this was Tuchel's characteristic blunt assessment.

After the match, Coach Tuchel said, "We could have done better, and we should have done better," adding, "Foden and Rashford did not show the influence they display at their clubs. There was a need for more dribbling, probing into the box, and decisive movements, but they were lacking."

He continued, "I still do not understand why the ball was not delivered to them faster or why we could not utilize the wide spaces. There was a lack of movement to receive the ball," publicly expressing dissatisfaction with Foden and Rashford's movement, influence, and overall contribution to the team.

Such remarks are very similar to the criticisms he directed at Kim Min-jae during his time at Bayern Munich. After a defensive mistake by Kim Min-jae in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League for the 2023-2024 season against Real Madrid, Tuchel said, "A central defender should not have such freedom to counterattack," and "He was too greedy. No one was there to help Kim Min-jae in that situation," publicly admonishing him.

This comment came during an official press conference after the match, highlighting Tuchel's distinctive style of directly criticizing individual players. In that match, Kim Min-jae had contributed to confusion in defensive organization, but at the time, fans and experts noted that "the coach shifted responsibility onto the players for his tactical errors."

Ultimately, Tuchel was dismissed from Bayern at the end of the season, and after his successor, Vincent Kompany, took over, Kim Min-jae has reportedly regained his best form, referred to as 'the form of his time at SSC Napoli.'

Tuchel maintains a style of openly evaluating and criticizing players' performances, whether at clubs or national teams.

In this match, Foden was criticized by Roy Keane during 'ITV' commentary, and Tuchel also added, "He should have attempted to dribble and break through more often. Today he was deployed on the right wing, but he is not a player who can maintain that position continuously," expressing skepticism about the viability of that position.

Rashford also struggled and was substituted for Anthony Gordon, who unfortunately suffered a hip injury towards the end of the match.

Thomas Tuchel is regarded as a top European coach, having led prestigious clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. However, there are ongoing concerns that "his style of publicly criticizing players could have a long-term impact on team morale."

The experience of the collapse of trust within the Bayern defense and internal discord following the public reprimand of Kim Min-jae supports this concern. Attention is now focused on what results will unfold from using the same method on this different stage of the national team.

김민재에 대한 공개 질책 이후, 바이에른 수비진의 신뢰 붕괴와 내부 잡음이 이어졌던 경험은 그 우려를 뒷받침하는 사례 중 하나다. 이제 대표팀이라는 또 다른 무대에서 같은 방식이 어떤 결과로 이어질지 많은 관심이 쏠리고 있다.

[OSEN]