Tuchel Defends Spence Outbursts: "I Have to Scream So They Hear Me"

Thomas Tuchel has moved to quash any notion that he holds a grudge against Djed Spence, following a visibly heated exchange caught on camera during England's limp stalemate with Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.

The contrast could hardly have been starker. Days earlier, the Three Lions had dismantled Croatia with a scintillating second-half masterclass—slick, purposeful, and utterly dominant. Against Ghana, they looked sluggish and uninspired, strangled by opponents who set up shop and refused to budge.

Spence, the 25-year-old Tottenham full-back, had made a decent impression off the bench in the Croatia victory and earned his maiden major tournament start against the Black Stars. While his performance was hardly catastrophic, it proved unremarkable in a match where England's creative spark had been extinguished. The midfielder Nico O'Reilly replaced him midway through the second half—though not before Tuchel's frustrations had become rather conspicuous.

The England boss had already been spotted during a pre-match training session demanding that Spence "wake up," and his demeanour on the touchline suggested the midfielder's display was testing his patience once more.

When asked about the apparent tension, Tuchel explained his thinking plainly. "I wanted him to be more engaged in the attacking phase," the German said. "To start our attacks a bit wider and to have more runs through the last line. Overall, it was his first start for England in a major tournament and I always put it into perspective. I have to scream because nobody hears me otherwise. It's all good with Djed."

He added that the introduction of O'Reilly almost proved decisive, with the substitute fashioning chances including a header and a glorious opportunity for Harry Kane.

Some observers have suggested Tuchel might be singling out Spence for unnecessarily harsh treatment. Former England midfielder Jack Wilshere, now managing Luton Town, disagreed with that assessment when speaking to talkSPORT.

"I think it's quite normal," Wilshere said. "When we were growing up, we used to get screamed at, and we just took it. It's kind of now gone through that period of coaching where there's a little bit more of an arm round a player. I think it's very individual. You know the players that you can do that to; I think you know the players that don't need it and know when they're probably not doing what they should be doing."

Wilshere pointed to Spence's own measured response to the criticism as evidence that no real rift exists. "I saw the clip from training as well when Tuchel was shouting, 'Wake up!' to Djed. I also saw Djed's comments and he's like, 'Yeah, it's normal; he's a top coach; he demands a lot'," the Luton boss explained.

The distinction, Wilshere suggested, lies in Tuchel's understanding of each player's temperament and needs. "I think he'll know the ones he needs to remind," he continued. "You probably won't see him doing that to Harry Kane, because Harry Kane knows, and it's probably the same with Dec Rice. But there are certain players that can switch off; they can lose focus a little bit. That's him trying to help Djed, so I don't see a problem with it."