England defender Djed Spence said being shouted at by manager Thomas Tuchel for errors in training is “part of the game” and that the German demands “high standards” from his players.
Tuchel was filmed shouting at the Tottenham full-back for hesitating during a passing drill in a training clip during a session on Saturday, which went viral.
But Spence, who came on for his World Cup debut as England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening match last Wednesday, said it was par for the course and that all the players would be criticised if standards slipped.
Tuchel was heard shouting “Djed, Djed, Djed wake up! Wake up!” after the he made a slow start to the drill.
Spence told TalkSport: “It’s normal. He’s a great manager. He wants the best from his players. He demands high standards and for this tournament, we need to be ready, we need to be on it.
“Every session needs to be of the highest quality. That’s what he demands. It’s good.
“I wouldn’t be the only one he says it to. It’s part of the game.”
Tuchel’s attention to detail and ability to motivate his players at half-time against Croatia, after they were twice pegged back having taken the lead, has impressed those both in and outside the camp in the early stages of this tournament.
Spence said: “I think he’s a great manager, he’s a great guy. Very detailed in what he wants to do. I’ve got great respect for him.
“It’s like what he always says, we’re building a family, we’ve built a brotherhood within the team, everyone has one dream, one brain.
“I think everyone is on the same path. We can do special things. I think he’s built that environment with this squad.”
Spence came on and impressed at right-back against Croatia but he is also the back-up left-back. Asked what his preferred position was he replied with “playing”.
“My preference is playing, of course,” he said. “You know that’s my natural position, that’s my favourite position.
“I don’t go too deep into it, because obviously that’s our thing as a team, and we don’t really want to talk too much about what each player’s role is, but defending is a really, really good one.
“I think that’s a great quality to have in a team.”
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