Tuchel 'not afraid to shout at players' to maintain standards, says

Ollie Watkins has said Thomas Tuchel is "not afraid" to shout at England players as the manager aims to maintain high training standards during the World Cup. The Aston Villa striker spoke at England's training base in Kansas City, discussing Tuchel's coaching methods and how the German motivates his squad.

"I think he is not afraid to shout at you. He is always demanding from you and making sure you are on it every day," Watkins said.

Tuchel was filmed shouting at Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence to "wake up" during a training session as England prepared for their second group match against Ghana on Tuesday (21:00 BST). Watkins admitted he narrowly avoided being the target. "It was lucky it wasn't me. I think I made a mistake just before Djed did but he ended up shouting at Djed, luckily," he said.

Watkins interpreted the incident as a sign of Tuchel's winning mentality. "I think it just shows that he is a winner and that he is always driving the standards, making sure we are on it. That is what you need when the aim is to win a World Cup. [Tuchel is] very demanding, but when he is around the base camp he is very relaxed and chilled."

Tuchel's pedigree and Spence's role

Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and league titles with Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich. Spence, 25, was called up to the 26-man squad despite Tottenham's battle against relegation. Tuchel values Spence's versatility, and after Tino Livramento withdrew through injury, Spence is likely the first-choice cover at both left-back and right-back.

Spence came on for the final 10 minutes of England's 4-2 win over Croatia, a winning start to the tournament, and had a chance to score. He downplayed the shouting incident, saying it reflects Tuchel's elite standards.

Spence: 'It's normal from an elite manager'

"I probably just missed one of the zones to go to and he just told me to wake up," Spence told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's normal, you know. He's an elite manager - he demands the highest quality from his players, and we want to give the highest quality back as well. So it is very normal in training sessions, to be honest."

Spence added that he has a good relationship with Tuchel. "He talks to me sometimes before training, after training - reminds me of what I need to do, my minutes, and what qualities I possess. I can say I've got a good relationship with him, and I think he's a great manager."