The England boss revealed he was inspired by Eddie Howe's tactics as he named Dan Burn in a 4-3-3 formation alongside the likes of Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Elliot Anderson at Wembley
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe and England manager Thomas Tuchel
Former Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe and England manager Thomas Tuchel
England boss Thomas Tuchel said it was a "51% decision" to pick Dan Burn over Jarrad Branthwaite at Wembley in the Three Lions' 2-1 win over Croatia.
But he insisted that he'd taken inspiration from Eddie Howe when selecting his team ahead of the crunch UEFA Nations League fixture beneath the famous Wembley arch. Tuchel used the tactical familiarity to help deliver a narrow 2-1 win over Croatia and set up a top-of-the-table shootout on Sunday in Madrid.
Tuchel said last night at Wembley: "Dan came late into the camp and Dan is just Dan. He is a fantastic guy to have, he is always a standard-setter in training.
"And he always lives up to the highest standards in terms of how to socialise on and off the pitch and how to get things going and push everyone. We opted for him, and it was maybe a 51% decision between him and Jarrad.
"We had some changes in the back four. We knew that Dan played in a similar kind of style to go into opponents' half, and a man-man, he played with Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon and he did it for Eddie Howe in the Champions League.
"It was a similar approach so we thought it could help because we had new faces and new partnerships in the back four we went for him."
But Tuchel did not clear Burn of all blame for Croatia's equaliser after Petar Sucic poked home after poor judgement from both Declan Rice and Jarell Quansah.
Tuchel said in his Press conference: "He had a bit of an awkward moment when we conceded the goal, a bit unlike him. But overall, a good performance, vocal and brave, and dangerous from our set plays, so well done."
When asked if Lewis Hall was close to nailing down the left-back slot ahead of Euro 2028, Tuchel said: "He is doing what he needs to do, so keep going."
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