English player Viral after being scolded in training: Tuchel has high standards

JAKARTA - Djed Spence revealed that he was not the only one who was the target of the English coach, Thomas Tuchel, after a clip of him being reprimanded during training went viral.

The Tottenham Hotspur full-back was reprimanded by Tuchel when he started the open training session slowly on Saturday, June 20, 2026.

Tuchel was heard shouting "Djed, Djed, Djed wake up! Wake up!" after the player hesitated during a pass drill.

However, Spence said this was common for the highly meticulous coach.

"That's normal. He's a great manager. He wants the best from his players. He demands high standards and for this tournament, we have to be ready, we have to be focused."

"Every session has to be of a high quality. That's what he demands. That's good. I think it's not just me he tells me that. That's part of the game."

"I think he's a great manager, he's a great guy. Very detailed in what he wants to do. I have a lot of respect for him."

"As he always says, we are building a family, we have built brotherhood within the team, everyone has one dream, one mind."

"I think everyone is on the same page. We can do special things. I think he has built that environment with this squad," Spence told talkSPORT.

Spence made his World Cup debut in the opening game against Croatia where he came on as a substitute and impressed as a right back. He was also a reserve left back.

Even so, he was reluctant to confirm which position was his favorite. The most important thing for him was to play and help the team.

"My preference is of course to play. You know it's my natural position, it's my favorite position. I won't discuss it too deeply because obviously it's an important thing for our team."

"We don't want to talk too much about the role of each player, but defending is a very, very good thing."

"I think it's a great quality to have on a team," he said.

Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins urged England to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup knockout phase in the match against Ghana on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Thomas Tuchel's team has ensured one step towards the last 32 with the opening victory over Croatia. That is, a victory against Ghana in Boston will ensure their qualification to the knockout phase.

The top spot can then be confirmed if Panama fail to beat Croatia in the other Group L game on the same day, meaning the final game against Panama this weekend will be a dead rubber.

"I think every game you play, you want to win, we're preparing now for the next game, doing everything we can to win."

"We want to top the group. We want to win every game and qualify for the next round. I think that's everyone's goal in the end, but we're in a good position so far. We need to continue to build on the performance of the game against Croatia," said Watkins.

Ghana are ranked 65th in the world and, by ranking, are England's weakest opponent in the group stage.

Manchester City star Antoine Semenyo will be a big threat and England need to be wary. However, Watkins revealed that Tuchel will be more concerned with what his team do.

"To be honest, the thing I like about this manager is that he highlights their threats. We know Semenyo is a great player as you have seen in the last few seasons."

"But he (Tuchel) is very focused on ourselves and what we are trying to do with the ball, and how we try to dominate them, and what we do when we don't have the ball, when we have the ball, some tactical things we can do to hurt them."

"That is a very positive thing I see from the manager," said the Aston Villa striker.