England travel to Prague on Tuesday evening looking to respond to their opening UEFA Nations League defeat when they face Czechia in Group A3.
The Three Lions began their campaign with a 3-2 loss to world champions Spain at Wembley, while Czechia were also beaten in their opening fixture, going down 2-1 to Croatia on home soil. Both sides therefore head into the second round of matches without a point.
England showed plenty of attacking quality against Spain, with Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane scoring after the visitors had taken an early lead. Jude Bellingham then saw a penalty strike the crossbar before Spain turned the game around in the second half, leaving Tuchel’s side with plenty to build on despite the result.
That attacking intent will be important again in Prague, particularly given England’s impressive recent record away from home. The Three Lions have won their last seven away matches by an aggregate score of 21-1, while Tuchel has won all four of his away games as England boss without conceding.
With England facing four Nations League matches within 11 days, Tuchel has also had to consider how best to manage his squad without taking away from the team’s attacking approach.
“I would love not to rotate but I am not sure if it’s possible,” Tuchel said.
The England boss also made clear that he wants his side to remain aggressive rather than simply manage the game or the workload of the players.
“We need to be proactive and go for it,” he added.
One player likely to be central to that approach is Jude Bellingham, who has been directly involved in nine goals across his last nine international appearances, scoring seven and providing two assists.
England have nevertheless had to make several changes during the international window, with Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento withdrawing before the Spain match. James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White were subsequently added to the squad.
Czechia will arrive at the Fortuna Arena with a similar need for a response after their narrow defeat by Croatia. The result ended a 19-match unbeaten home run, with Luka Modric opening the scoring before Marco Pasalic doubled the visitors’ advantage and the hosts were unable to complete their comeback after pulling one goal back.
For Santi Denia, it was a difficult start to his first competitive campaign as Czechia head coach, although the Spaniard was encouraged by aspects of his team’s performance.
Denia said after the defeat that his team had shown “the way” they want to develop, while stressing the high level of the Nations League group and the importance of improving the details that decided the match.
Czechia have now lost three of their last four matches and remain without a victory in their last six competitive fixtures, increasing the importance of Tuesday’s meeting as they look to regain momentum.
England have won six of their last nine meetings with Czechia, drawing two and losing one, although the Three Lions lost 2-1 on their previous visit to Prague in October 2019.
The most recent meeting ended with a 1-0 England victory at Euro 2020, while England have scored in each of their last 13 matches against Czechia.
Both sides therefore have plenty of reason to view Tuesday’s fixture as an opportunity to reset their Nations League campaigns. England will be looking to turn the positives from their performance against Spain into a result, while Czechia will hope home advantage can help them respond to their opening-day defeat.
