Thomas Tuchel Sticks With England Defence Ahead of Czechia Nations League Clash

Thomas Tuchel is not planning major defensive changes for England’s Nations League meeting with Czechia despite the costly mistakes that contributed to Saturday’s 3-2 defeat by Spain.

The England manager believes the problems against the world champions were largely individual errors rather than evidence of a wider defensive weakness. England have now gone six matches without a clean sheet, but Tuchel remains prepared to trust the players who have been part of his plans. 

Tuchel refuses to overhaul England’s defence

England twice paid the price for mistakes in possession during their defeat at Wembley. Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly were involved in errors that Spain converted into goals, leaving Tuchel facing questions about whether changes are required in Prague.

The German coach, however, has argued that England’s overall defensive organisation was encouraging.

Tuchel said he did not identify a recurring defensive pattern that concerned him and felt his team remained disciplined when operating in their defensive structure. His assessment means he is unlikely to make wholesale changes simply because individual players made mistakes against Spain. 

O’Reilly and Konsa fitness concerns

There could nevertheless be changes forced by fitness issues.

O’Reilly and Ezri Konsa both missed England’s training session before the squad travelled to Prague. Tuchel described the problems as minor but said decisions on their availability would be made after further assessment. 

Lewis Hall is among the options who could come into the side if O’Reilly is unavailable, while Trevoh Chalobah could be considered in central defence should Konsa fail to recover in time. 

Alexander-Arnold pushing for a return

Another selection question surrounds Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Real Madrid defender has not represented England since June 2025 and was an unused substitute against Spain. Tuchel has nevertheless indicated that the full-back has trained well and is ready to contribute if selected.

His potential involvement could give England another option at right-back as Tuchel looks for greater security and quality in possession. 

England need a response in Prague

England arrive in the Czech Republic looking for their first points of the Nations League campaign after losing 3-2 to Spain at Wembley.

Czechia also opened the competition with a defeat, going down to Croatia, meaning both teams enter Tuesday’s meeting looking to recover from disappointing starts. England’s next match is scheduled for 29 September in Prague. 

Tuchel has rejected the idea that the match should already be described as a “must-win” fixture, although he has made clear that England’s objective is to take three points.

For the England manager, the challenge is now to maintain the positive elements from the Spain performance while eliminating the individual mistakes that proved so costly at Wembley.