Second-half goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane earned England all three points after their task was made easier in the first half when Pavel Sulc was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Elliot Anderson.
Tuchel, who made four changes from the Three Lions’ 3-2 defeat to Spain on Saturday, saw his side struggle to break down the Czechs at home, but with the points in the bag, the German coach was pleased to see his side put in the hard yards.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, he said: “I love sometimes these unglamorous results. Sometimes you just need to leave the stadium and win 2-0 and have a relaxed evening and go on to the next one. You cannot always be glamorous; you cannot always be super exciting. You sometimes have to do the hard work.
“There is not a lot of praise because we were the favourites; we demanded the win from us, and you go up with one man, of course, everyone expects (the win) from ourselves.
“That’s why we didn’t panic, but we needed to play with a little more urgency and dynamic movements on the side… We kept the effort in the man-to-man approach in the opponent’s half, and it was there until maybe the last 10 minutes. Overall, that’s what also builds character, if you go to Czechia in an away stadium and you just do it.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold got his first start in two years for England in the Czech capital and provided a precise cross to set up Gordon for his side’s opener.
Tuchel was impressed with the full-back on his return to the fold, as he gained an 8.9, man-of-the-match rating from Flashscore.
Speaking about the Real Madrid defender, he remarked: “I have no doubt that he can produce these kinds of assists.
“In the second half, a deeper position suited him more than the higher position in the first half.
“Trent was very secure on the ball, and can be decisive with his crosses. (He was) solid in defending and he had one decisive action that helped us score, so a good performance overall.”
England now head straight to Croatia after a night’s rest in Prague for two training sessions and their third game of four during this elongated international break. They have used every outfield player during the first two fixtures, and Tuchel admitted that the strain of this new format is being felt, with Jude Bellingham the latest to pick up a niggle along with Tuesday night’s absentees, Nico O’Reilly and Ezri Konsa.
He added: “It is new for the players; they feel something and in a normal window, like with Nico O’Reilly, you would go back to the club…
“Now we have two matches to play, and he stays with us… Everything is new, everything is different, but we needed that win to build momentum, and to build on our performance against Spain.
“...It feels like a mini tournament.”
Follow England’s next Nations League match against Croatia on Saturday with Flashscore and read more about Tuesday night’s game here.
Josh Donaldson is a Global Senior Editor and International Football Specialist for Flashscore. From the UK, now living in Prague, Josh specialises in football and cycling and can be found at an obscure ground watching games or on his bike. You can follow Josh on X and read his articles here.
