England lost on their last trip to Prague, and Tuchel says resting players this time would be madness
After the 3-2 defeat to Spain, Thomas Tuchel says he takes no calls from Premier League managers and will keep his core together for Czechia on Tuesday.
Sep 28, 2026
Thomas Tuchel has been asked the obvious question after England’s 3-2 defeat to Spain: with four games in 11 days, will he ease off on the players the Premier League clubs want back in one piece? His answer was no, and he did not dress it up. “I don’t take calls from Premier League managers,” he said. “I never called any national team coach when in club football.”
England go to Prague to play Czechia on Tuesday, 29 September, and Tuchel wants the same core of players to go again. The kick-off at the Fortuna Arena is 7.45pm in the UK, which is 12.15am IST on Wednesday for fans in India.
“It’s madness”
Tuchel’s reasoning is about the message rotation sends. “Why would I do this and start giving the players the impression that it’s OK to take a step back or share a half or to rest one match? I would never. It’s madness,” he said.
He wants six or seven players to start throughout the window so the group builds some trust and responsibility. He did accept that Declan Rice, who pulled out of the squad before the Spain game, needed rest. Individual cases get individual treatment. The rest of the team does not get a lighter week.
Jude Bellingham is the obvious test case. He plays every game at full tilt, and Real Madrid will want him back fresh. Tuchel’s view is that there is no other version of him. “It’s better if he plays with a bit of rage. It’s what he does,” he said.
The last time England went to Prague
England’s record against Czechia is good, but their last trip to Prague is not a happy one. In October 2019 Harry Kane scored a penalty in the fifth minute of a Euro 2020 qualifier, and England still lost 2-1. Jakub Brabec equalised four minutes later and Zdenek Ondrasek, a 30-year-old substitute on his debut, won it with five minutes left. It was England’s first defeat in a Euros or World Cup qualifier for 10 years.
Kane will have penalties on his mind for a different reason this time. Against Spain on Saturday, with England 2-1 up, his standing foot went as he took his penalty and the ball hit the crossbar. “My left foot just gave way,” he said afterwards. Spain scored twice in the 20 minutes after it.
A new coach, and a bad start, for Czechia
Czechia also lost their opening game, 2-1 at home to Croatia. It was the first competitive match for Santi Denia, the Spaniard who coached Spain to Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 and became the first foreign head coach of the Czech national team in the summer. He replaced Miroslav Koubek, who stepped down after Czechia finished bottom of their group at the World Cup.
Denia has problems in midfield. Tomas Soucek is out injured, and Adam Karabec, who scored Czechia’s equaliser against Croatia, is a doubt after limping off later in the game. Vladimir Coufal is expected to captain the side.
England have their own selection issue in goal. Dean Henderson is injured, and Tuchel has said James Trafford gets two games to make his case, so the keeper who was beaten three times on Saturday starts again in Prague.
What comes after Prague
Neither team has a point in the group, which makes this closer to a must-win than a September Nations League game usually is. England then play Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday, 3 October, a 9.30pm IST start, before Czechia come to Wembley on Tuesday, 6 October.
Tuchel has made this his call, in public. If England lose in Prague with the same core, the clubs will say they told him so. If they win, he can point at the table.