Thomas Tuchel has hailed the impact of his substitutes after England's 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in Orlando, insisting their 'angry' attitude was exactly what he wanted. The German head coach was left unhappy with his side's first-half display against New Zealand last week, but saw a much-improved performance against Costa Rica, with goals from Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins securing a comfortable win.
The match was delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms in Orlando, with fans told to take shelter and England delaying their arrival at the stadium. Despite the disruption, Tuchel was delighted with the team's response. 'Tonight just makes my mind very calm because we're absolutely on the right way,' he said. 'I'm very proud of what I saw today, the team spirit and the behaviour. The guys who came in were super influential; the guys who came out were pushing from behind on the bench. Exactly what we wanted.'
Roy Keane believes Anthony Gordon has done enough to earn a starting spot ahead of Marcus Rashford for England's World Cup opener against Croatia. The former Newcastle winger was among the standout performers against Costa Rica, and Keane told ITV: 'You want players to give you a headache. Anthony Gordon will be on a high with his dream move to Barcelona. Gordon, you would think, would get the nod.'
Tuchel confirmed England will play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Miami FC on Friday to give minutes to those who featured less, before heading to Kansas City to prepare for Croatia. 'We saw very good substitutes who were disappointed not to start. They came in with the same intensity and quality against a more tired opponent. Well done to everyone,' he added.
