England manager Thomas Tuchel has lavished praise on his players for the resilience and maturity they have shown since the Three Lions' painful exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting the squad have drawn strength from that disappointment rather than letting it linger.

England suffered a 3-2 defeat to world champions Spain in the tournament, but Tuchel's side have since responded with two commanding victories over the Czech Republic, bookending a ruthless 7-0 dismantling of Croatia, to push themselves to the verge of the quarter-finals.

Turning pain into purpose

Tuchel acknowledged that rebuilding morale after the World Cup exit was his foremost priority from the moment he took charge. The German coach expressed considerable satisfaction with how swiftly his players refocused and committed themselves to the new campaign.