World Cup 2026: Djed Spence Responds to Tuchel “Wake Up” Viral Video

Spence backs Tuchel after viral training outburst

Tottenham’s Djed Spence defended Thomas Tuchel after footage of the coach yelling “Djed, Djed, wake up!” went viral. Ollie Watkins agreed it shows the standards Tuchel demands.

“He's a great manager. He wants the best from his players...”

England defender Djed Spence said he wasn’t bothered by Thomas Tuchel’s training-ground outburst, calling the German’s push for high standards “part of the game” as England chase World Cup success.

Footage of Tuchel yelling “Djed, Djed, Djed, wake up!” during a Saturday passing drill spread online.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender, who came off the bench for his World Cup debut in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia last Wednesday, said Tuchel’s response was about the team’s standards, not a personal dig.

“It's normal,” Spence told ‌TalkSPORT. “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.”

Spence credited Tuchel with building strong unity across the squad.

“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,” Spence said.

“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.”

Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins also brought up Tuchel’s shouting at Sunday’s press conference, but he backed Spence and said it just showed how high the coach sets the bar.

“It was lucky it wasn't me,” he said of Tuchel's outburst ‌at Spence. “I think I made a mistake just before Djed did, but he ended up shouting at Djed, luckily.

“It just shows that he is a winner and that he is always driving the ⁠standards, making sure we ⁠are on it.”

England’s next game is against Ghana on Tuesday in Boston.