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England's Tuchel sees Spanish influence in Czech Republic side ahead of clash

Thomas Tuchel watches England training ahead of their clash against Czech Republic
Thomas Tuchel watches England training ahead of their clash against Czech RepublicAction Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

England boss Thomas Tuchel believes the Czech Republic are already showing signs of learning from Spanish coach Santiago Denia as the Three Lions face his side in Prague on Tuesday in the Nations League.

Denia took charge of the Czech Republic during the summer, becoming their first-ever foreign coach. His reign started with a defeat, however, losing 2-1 to Croatia on Saturday at the same time as England were being beaten by Spain at Wembley in a five-goal thriller.

Despite the short turnaround between games, Tuchel and his coaching staff have taken a look at the Czechs' new style, with the influence of their new coach already rubbing off on the players.

The last time England were in Prague for a competitive fixture, they were beaten 2-1 in Prague seven years ago, and the German coach is under no illusion that the atmosphere, as well as the new system under Denia, will prove impactful.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference at Fortuna Arena, Tuchel explained: "We analysed, of course, only one game from the Czech team because they have a new coach.

"We saw a lot of patterns that we saw in the Spanish side, so (Czech Republic have) a very flexible midfield three, a lot of changes of positions. We saw wingers attacking full-backs, attacking wingers in a 4-3-3 formation. We saw a team that is well organised, saw a team that is ready to go for a new coach, for a new ideas and for motivation to take their chance and impress.

"...That's what we are up against, and you play against the supporters and the atmosphere that the underdog will bring to any game, that's a part of it, but that's the beauty of it."

Across England's last two games, they have conceded seven goals - the same amount as they let in across the rest of the World Cup campaign.

The pair of matches did come against Spain and France, two of the world's best, and despite the leaky backline, Tuchel is yet to feel real concern, given two of Spain's three goals at Wembley were down to costly errors when England were in possession.

He added: "The last two matches in itself seven goals in two matches; it is very unusual.

"It's not a concern yet. We did not spend too much time in a low block, we were pushing up a middle block, and into a high press was on a very good level, a higher level than in many other matches. With the pure setup of defending and how we did it in the structure, I was quite happy - it was a step ahead. 

"We suffered clearly from individual mistakes during deep build-up, and it is something that we cannot repeat, especially at this level."

A solution to this could be not rotating the side, allowing players to build trust and compatibility. As Tuchel admitted in Prague on Monday, in an ideal world he would start the same XI; however, with just two-and-a-half days of recovery for England's players, changes seem inevitable.

Only goalkeeper James Trafford has been confirmed to start against the Czech Republic, who started against Spain, but the other 10 spots in Tuchel's team are up in the air. Saturday starters Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly both didn't train with the rest of the squad at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground before travelling to the Czech capital, and both will be checked on before Tuesday's clash.

Tuchel explained: "They missed training because of minor issues, but they are still issues, and they need to be assessed.

"Ideally, I would love to put the same team out there, but I need to speak to the doctors, physios and the players themselves about what is responsible and what is not, but let's see tomorrow.

"My mindset before the camp was not to rotate too much, but we will be very considerate with the health of the players."

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