England star addresses viral clip of Thomas Tuchel barking at him to ‘wake up’

Djed Spence has addressed the viral clip of England manager Thomas Tuchel shouting at him to ‘wake up’ in training.

During a drill with his squad ahead of their second World Cup game, Tuchel could be heard barking his orders towards Spence.

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The Three Lions are preparing to take on Ghana on Tuesday night, live on talkSPORT, after beating Croatia 4-2 last week.

Another victory for Tuchel’s men is set to win them the group and secure a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament.

So, the German boss is sure to be driving home his high standards in training ahead of England’s next crucial clash.

And he’s not messing about, making sure that all of his players, especially Spence, are awake and up for the fight.

In a clip that has been viewed by millions on social media, Tuchel can be heard leading his session right next to the squad.

And after Spence hesitated during a drill, getting his directions mixed up, he was called out by his manager.

Tuchel shouted: “Djed, Djed, Djed wake up! Wake up!”

The Tottenham full-back has now addressed that moment when speaking exclusively to talkSPORT in Kansas City.

A good thing

Spence said from England’s camp: “Yeah, I think it’s normal. He’s a great manager and he wants the best from his players.

“He demands high standards, and for this tournament, we need to be ready, we need to be honest.

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“I think every session needs to be up to high quality and that’s what he demands. It’s good.”

He was then asked how Tuchel telling him to ‘wake up’ during training made him feel, but he hasn’t been fazed by it.

The 25-year-old admitted: “No feeling, really. I wouldn’t be there anyway, and he says it to everyone else.

“No, no, no, freedom is just part of the game. If he needs me to do whatever, I’ll do it. It’s just part of the game, really.”

On Tuchel’s management as a whole, Spence then added: “I think he’s a great manager, he’s a great guy. Very detailed in what he wants to do.

“I think the boys really love him and have a great respect for him. I think it’s like what he always says, we’re building a family here and we’ve built a family… I think if everyone’s on the same path, we can do special things. He’s built an environment in the squad.”

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‘I was lucky’

Ollie Watkins also discussed the clip of Spence being shouted at by Tuchel and echoed his teammates’ thoughts.

Although the Aston Villa striker did admit he was lucky that it wasn’t him being barked at by the manager instead…

“I think he’s not afraid to shout at you,” Watkins said at a press conference. “He’s always demanding from you, making sure you’re on it every day.

“You saw it with Djed that he was saying, ‘Wake up, wake up!’

“I was lucky that it wasn’t me, I think I made a mistake just before Djed did and he ended up shouting at him, luckily…

“But I think it just shows you that he’s a winner at the end of the day, driving the standards and I think that’s what you need.”