Tuchel turns up the heat on Spain clash: "The winner takes it all"

Some matches are played for three points, and some are played for something more. Sunday's game in Madrid belongs to the second category, and Thomas Tuchel didn't mince words describing it: "the winner takes it all."

England closes out its soccer year with a demanding assignment: a visit to world champions Spain, with first place in Group A3 of the Nations League up for grabs. That's no small thing. La Roja arrives with a perfect record in the group stage, but Tuchel's side earned the right to dream of topping the table thanks to a hard fought 2-1 win over Croatia, a result the manager himself said his team needed "desperately."

The backdrop only adds spice to the matchup. Back in September, in the tournament opener at Wembley, Spain already came out on top, 3-2. And England's memories of 2026 run the gamut, from the heroic triumph against the odds in Mexico to the painful semifinal elimination against Argentina, when the English were mere minutes away from reaching the final that Spain itself went on to win.

With that recent history in mind, Tuchel isn't hiding his ambition. "We need exactly this kind of game. Now it's a final for the group title. We wanted exactly this kind of fixture, and we want the win in Spain," the German coach explained in comments to BBC Radio 5 Live.

The winner takes it all. Even today, in the last 10 minutes, when it gets nervy and tense and Croatia start to push, those are big moments for us, to get through them and learn from them.Thomas Tuchel

Kane, the headline act once again

The win over Croatia came with an extra layer of significance: Harry Kane became the most capped player in the history of the England national team, reaching 126 appearances. That night, the captain not only matched Morgan Rogers's mark with a penalty that turned out to be the winning goal, but also notched his 92nd goal for England, all just a few weeks after collecting the Ballon d'Or.

Tuchel was full of praise for how his captain handles the media spotlight that comes with every milestone. "A lot of recognition, a lot of congratulations in the last few weeks, and that can also be exhausting because it's a lot, a lot of attention," the coach admitted. He added: "But he stayed focused, stayed calm, scored a very important penalty for the win. A textbook celebration, on a textbook night."

Asked whether that level of exposure could wear down any player, Tuchel didn't hesitate: "Yes, it would, and it definitely does with him. It's even more important that he feels comfortable in camp, relaxed and in control. He knows he's our main leader, and I think that helps him. The less noise, the better. But right now there's a lot on him. Well deserved, and for tonight's occasion, it was the perfect context for him to score the decisive goal."

Ahead of the clash in Madrid, Tuchel still has a few questions to sort out. Defenders Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence are available again after missing the Croatia match with physical issues, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has served his one match suspension and is cleared to play. In goal, Jordan Pickford started against Croatia after splitting minutes with James Trafford in the previous call up, and everything suggests the German manager could rotate that position again ahead of Thursday's fixture.