Tuchel 'very happy' with Uruguay display

Thomas Tuchel was encouraged by England’s performance against Uruguay as the two teams drew 1-1 at Wembley.

The Three Lions head coach touched on Ben White’s goal in his first England appearance for four years, the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and his thoughts on the performance.

“I'm absolutely okay with our performance,” reflected Tuchel. “I liked how we brought the structure to life. We tried and we tried, and we were the better team I think overall.

“We had some big chances from set pieces. The biggest chance was with Dominic Calvert-Lewin after 60 minutes. Then we were forced into changes –we lost Noni Madueke and Phil Foden through injuries, so it was a lot.

"Then we had a lot of new players and we changed a lot of new players, so for all that, I’m very grateful for the test and very happy with the performance.

"Competition to make the squad for the World Cup this summer is high, as the England boss reiterated prior to March international camp."

When asked which players had advanced their cause as they compete for a place on the plane, Tuchel said: "They all did. I have to review it, but they all did.

“I liked how we played. We knew it was a difficult opponent. [Uruguay head coach Marcelo] Bielsa told me months ago that he would arrive with his best team, take it very seriously, and maybe make no changes. We were very well aware of that.

“So, I think we did good. Everyone did good. We played as a team and brought the structure to life. I liked a lot of stuff today.”

For the first time since 2022, Arsenal’s Ben White was called into the squad as an injury replacement and the defender repaid Tuchel’s faith, scoring on his England return.

And Tuchel was delighted when the 28 year old found the back of the net around ten minutes from time to fire the Three Lions into the lead.

“Too good to be true, when he got the winner which was then not the winner,” said Tuchel.

“And in the end, he's maybe a bit too tough, too greedy in his defensive actions, but still, I don’t think it’s a penalty. It would have been nice to keep a clean sheet and take another win, but it won’t change my opinion on them."