Roy Keane criticized the attitude of the players of England in their difficult 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra, such as three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel admitted: “We played with fire”.
Harry Kane scored the winning goal early in the second half, but during the game England struggled to cut the 173rd side of the world in a game in the Spanish heat of Barcelona.
Tuchel raised the lack of “urgency, quality and energy” when he spoke with ITV and Sky Sports Pundit Keane after the game, turned into the approach of England of the Omroep.
“We try to apologize for England, but I thought when they scored the goal, they thought the work had been done. I was really disappointed about their attitude when they scored,” said Keane.
“The manager cannot be happy with the efforts in the last half hour. In general, the attitude was not great.
“When I see that players are bored, whom I have seen for the past half an hour, I don't like that.
“Go get some more goals. They have to impress the manager, he is still new to the job.
“You can't keep looking at Kane, the other attacking players must have an impact.”
Keane was also critical about Kane's post-match rating, including the captain and said, “We take the points and continue.”
“I don't like the message from your senior players is that the work has been done, we take it, whatever,” said Keane.
“You should raise your standards than that. You should say that they should have scored three or four more. We defend the players, say that it is the end of the season and talk about the hot circumstances, and Kane looked smashed.
“But still, you want more. The quality of England has an attack, they have to show it.”
Tuchel: We played with fire; We expect more
Tuchel was also alerted by the approach of his players – and the risks that attitude brought the last phases with the score on 1-0 and Andorra that went into half of England.
He also emphasized their lack of precision in the last third part.
“I didn't like the attitude how we ended the game, not the whole game, it's a big difference,” Tuchel said in his press conference after the game.
“I loved the attitude in the first 25 minutes, but I didn't like the last half hour. We missed the seriousness and urgency needed in a world cup qualification.
“We played with fire and I didn't like the posture at the end. I didn't like body language, and I don't think it's what the opportunity needed.
“We have made and tuned an XG of three for one goal, which is unusual in a match like this where you normally perform an XG too much.
“Normally when you make three, you score five, on individual quality and finish. But it was a lack of quality at the end of both halves. It is fair to give it up and not talk about it.
“We expect more, we can deliver more and we will try to take it as learning.”
Analysis: Tuchel left with more questions than answers
Rob Dorsett from Sky Sports News in Barcelona:
“Tuchel tinkered, but he leaves Barcelona with more questions than answers. For me, he has too much complicated, with so many players from position. England was missing energy and invention, but for the brilliant Madueke it was perhaps much worse. It was he who was bullying and begged, until his perfect cross was that Kane.
“Credit Andorra, who defended brilliantly, but England asked far too few questions of them for 90 minutes. Tuchel will have a number of difficult questions to answer. And he will have to admit that he is wrong.
“A 1-0 win over the fourth-strict team throughout Europe comes down to a shame. And the support of England informed the players exactly how they felt at the last whistle.”