JAKARTA - Thomas Tuchel praised the performance of England's debutant National Team (Timnas), James Garner, in the friendly match against Uruguay on Saturday, March 28, 2026 WIB.
In fact, the German coach called him the "Federico Valverde of England".
Garner's arrival is part of a major overhaul Tuchel has made to the Three Lions squad since the November 2025 World Cup qualifier against Albania.
Garner and James Trafford made their first appearances for England. Garner played for 70 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay, where Ben White returned to play and scored England's only goal before Federico Valverde equalised for the visitors from the penalty spot.
The Everton player won the Best Player of the Match award and praise from Tuchel, who also admired Valverde.
"I'm very happy (with Garner). He is our 'Valverde'. He is getting better and playing very, very well."
"I'm pretty sure he'll play well because he has natural confidence. He's very strong physically. He wins a lot of balls," said Tuchel.
Tuchel was honest in his assessment of the 25-year-old. He said overall it was a very positive performance from England.
"I think there are some situations where he can be a little more open in his body position and maybe a little more aggressive in the midfield with a little more confidence."
"I think in the last 10 minutes of the first half, he was involved in some lost balls that slightly reduced our confidence."
"Overall, I am very impressed with the way he trains and the way he behaves. His game is good," said Tuchel.
It's just eight weeks until Tuchel picks the group of players he thinks have the character and talent to emulate Sir Alf Ramsey's heroes of 1966 by winning the World Cup.
Tuchel will cut the number of players who currently contain 35 players at the last camp, before appearing at the 2026 World Cup. A total of 19 players have already received playing time in England's last two friendly matches.
The coach still has one more trial match left before deciding on the players and appearing at the 2026 World Cup.
Even so, Tuchel already has an idea for arranging his troops after a difficult match against Uruguay, who are physically strong.
"I learned a lot because it was a tough opponent. You just see it in detail. You learn a lot in detail, how he behaves and you see his level."
"If you play against (Manuel) Ugarte, if you play against (Federico) Valverde in midfield, you will see the level."
"You play against these wingers and defenders, the level is high and you see it right away. So, we need this kind of test. I'm happy we did it like we did and we learned a lot," said Tuchel after the 1-1 draw at Wembley.
Meanwhile, England will face Japan in their final friendly before the 2026 World Cup. Harry Kane, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka are among the 11 experienced players who have returned to the camp for the friendly, which changes the dynamics of the group.
"The players who came, they need to relearn our principles. They haven't been in camp for three months. So, they also need to relearn it. We have three days of training."
"Japan plays a very unique style with a five-back formation. So, the wingback and two number 10 players, then switch sides, so we have to be tactically precise to have a solution."
"However, this is what we expect from the players who have had a rest. We will provide some solutions. They need to implement them," said Tuchel.
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