England national team coach Thomas Tuchel stated on Monday that the upcoming Nations League match against the Czech Republic in Prague is not 'mandatory for victory,' despite the team's 3-2 defeat to Spain last weekend.
The world champions, Spain, managed to come back into the game after trailing 2-1 in the opening match of Group A3 at Wembley on Saturday, which undermined England's hopes of reaching the Nations League semi-finals for the second time.
In Prague, Tuchel told reporters that 'winning is not necessarily required at an early stage of the group.' He added that the team always approaches every match with the goal of winning: 'the goal was to face Spain, and tomorrow the goal is the same.'
He emphasized that in football, a positive result is always necessary to gain confidence, support, and belief, especially after a loss.
Tuchel expects a difficult opponent from the Czechs, who hired their first foreign coach, Santi Denia from Spain, this summer after finishing last in their World Cup group.
The Czechs also started poorly in another Group A3 match on Saturday, losing 2-1 to Croatia at home, although they showed some improvement in play under the new coach.
'We respect the opponent, we respect the quality, we respect the challenge it presents if playing in Prague against the Czechs,' noted Tuchel.
The former Chelsea manager reported that Ezra Konsa and Nico O'Reilly, who played in the match against Spain, have 'minor issues' that may lead to their unavailability on Tuesday.
Tuchel added that ideally, he would like to field the same squad, but he needs to consult with doctors, physiotherapists, and the players themselves. He also mentioned that his initial plan for the national team was to minimize rotation, but player health will always be the priority.
'The Three Lions' have only reached the Nations League semi-finals once out of three tournaments and were even relegated to the second division in the 2022/23 season.
The Czechs have not lost any of their last four home matches against England, and they won the last encounter 2-1 in the Euro 2020 qualifiers in Prague in 2019. However, they face a huge task as a team establishing itself under Denia, who led Spain to Olympic gold in 2024.
Denia, calling England 'one of the best teams in the world,' stated that the hosts will focus on their own game. 'We are focused on our development to improve our performance and our team's details,' said Denia.