“British humor made me smile” – Tuchel enjoys cheers from fans

Thomas Tuchel said he accepted the chants directed at him by fans during the win over Latvia that secured England’s place in the World Cup.

Traveling England supporters targeted Tuchel with numerous songs throughout the match after the German manager criticized fans following the win over Wales last week.

The England coach said he was frustrated by the support the team provided at home at Wembley during Thursday’s 3-0 friendly win, comments that sparked a strong response from England fans who made the trip to Riga.

Speaking after the 5-0 win in the Latvian capital that booked England’s place in next summer’s World Cup, Tuchel said: “I got a bit of the stick today in the first half, that’s fair enough. I’m taking it with a good sense of humour, with a good sense of humour. I accept that.”

“They had reason today from my recent comments and I think that’s fair enough.

“I got a bit of stick and found it very creative. It made me smile and that’s the way it should be. It’s British humor and I can certainly handle it. No harm done.”

Regarding the influence of England fans between now and the World Cup, the England coach added: “It is very important. They are here and I said that the support in Serbia was wonderful. The support today was wonderful and we are sure that the support in America will be very wonderful. We need it.”

“It makes a big difference if you go out as a player or as a coach and see the fans behind the team and singing. That’s also 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 they should be able to recognize the way we play.

“We’re going to build something and get the highest level of performance out of them today.”