England manager Thomas Tuchel was filmed shouting at Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence to “wake up” during a training drill in Kansas City – and Ollie Watkins says the German is “not afraid” to shout at any player. The Aston Villa striker was speaking at England’s training base ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup group match against Ghana. “It was lucky it wasn't me,” Watkins said, smiling. “I think I made a mistake just before Djed did, but he ended up shouting at Djed, luckily.”
Watkins insisted the intensity is exactly what the squad needs. “I think it just shows that he is a winner and that he is always driving the standards, making sure we are on it. That is what you need when the aim is to win a World Cup.” He described Tuchel as “very demanding” but added that the manager is “very relaxed and chilled” around the base camp. Tuchel, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and league titles with Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich, is pushing the England group to maintain high training standards throughout the tournament.
“Thomas Tuchel shouted at Djed Spence in training, says Ollie Watkins, who also praised Arsenal target Morgan Rogers.”
Spence, called into the 26-man squad despite Tottenham’s battle against relegation, accepted the rebuke without complaint. “I probably just missed one of the zones to go to and he just told me to wake up,” the 25-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It's normal, you know. He's an elite manager – he demands the highest quality from his players, and we want to give the highest quality back as well. So it is very normal in training sessions, to be honest.” Spence, a versatile full-back who offers cover at left-back and right-back after Tino Livramento’s injury withdrawal, made a brief appearance in England’s 4-2 opening win over Croatia, coming on for the final 10 minutes and having a chance to score. He says he has a good relationship with Tuchel, who “talks to me sometimes before training, after training – reminds me of what I need to do, my minutes, and what qualities I possess.”
Meanwhile, Watkins also had high praise for his Aston Villa and England teammate Morgan Rogers. The Arsenal target, currently at the World Cup with England, was described by Watkins as a player who can “go to the very top”. The Villa striker could not speak highly enough of Rogers, who has drawn transfer interest from the Gunners.