Thomas Tuchel was seen raging at Djed Spence during England's last-gasp comeback against DR Congo at the World Cup. The England manager angrily pointed and shouted at the Tottenham full-back on the touchline in the 61st minute, frustrated by his performance.
DR Congo stun England early
England were stunned early on in their round-of-32 match as Brian Cipenga's goal in the seventh minute put DR Congo in front. The Three Lions struggled to find a way through following a resilient defensive display from DR Congo and an impressive performance from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. Shortly before half time, England were left furious after Harry Kane was denied a penalty when he was clipped by Mpasi inside DR Congo's area.
Tuchel's frustration boils over
Tuchel cut a frustrated figure after the break and in the 61st minute, the England manager was seen berating Spence on the touchline. This is not the first time that Tuchel openly blasted Spence on the sidelines at the World Cup this summer, as he was furious with the Spurs defender during England's goalless draw with Ghana in the group stage.
Harry Kane rode to England's rescue as his two goals sealed a 2-1 win for the Three Lions, who will now play Mexico in the round of 16.
Right-back conundrum
'The right-back position is a conundrum,' said former England defender Micah Richards after the late victory over DR Congo. 'You've had Declan Rice to fill in at right-back, Djed Spence has played only 298 minutes at right-back, he's used to playing on the left. To someone who hasn't played full-back, you might think it's the same, but it's actually not, your body position is completely different, you're crossing from one side.
'He really struggled today, Spence. I don't want to keep going back to who we haven't got, but when you've got the injury to [Tino] Livramento it's a problem, when [Jarell] Quansah went out it's a problem, Reece James. Now you're thinking could Trent's [Alexander-Arnold] quality give us something different in this game. Those are the question marks that he [Tuchel] is probably asking himself now.
'If you want to go with Rice at right-back, you lose Rice's pace and power in that midfield area. I think there are certainly things England need to look at if they want to go further in this competition.'
