After leading England to a commanding 7-0 away victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League group stage, head coach Tuchel attended a press conference. This is the first part of that press conference.

Given the nature of this victory, both the team's performance and the scoreline, would it be an exaggeration to call it a "masterclass"?

No, it was an incredibly impressive performance. Of course, it was a very good result, and the performance that underpinned it was of the highest standard from the first minute to the last. I think after we went 3-0 up, for about four or five minutes, we gave away a good chance, made some passing errors, and gave the opponent some fifty-fifty balls and crosses, but overall, the team's pace, technical quality, and hunger for possession were at an extremely high level today.

I'm very pleased with our attitude throughout the match. We never let up in the second half; we remained very humble and never complacent, truly delivering a complete 90-minute performance. Congratulations to everyone involved, and also to the substitutes, whose energy, work rate, and quality of play were all at the highest level today.

People will undoubtedly talk about the goalscorers, and I'm sure others will ask about them. But I'd like to ask you a separate question about Alex Scott. You spoke very positively about him last night,his first start, what a brilliant beginning...

Yes, a first start and an incredibly impressive one. What an outstanding performance; he looks very fluid and comfortable on the ball, and his decision-making is of the highest standard. He plays with strong confidence, very positively and assuredly, and his off-the-ball running and commitment are extremely thorough. He's demonstrating extremely complete all-around qualities. Today, he partnered with Elliott Anderson and Garner in midfield, providing us with great fluidity, versatility, and extensive running coverage.

Hi Thomas, congratulations. Did you feel like taking a bite out of the grass today?

That would certainly be worth a try, but it's been really great (laughs). The last three days have been fantastic. After the match against the Czech Republic, we had the chance to relax and unwind, enjoy the beautiful coastline, and then shift back to tactical meetings and training.

What I must commend is how the entire team refocused despite a very unusual match atmosphere – during the warm-up, it felt more like an open training session in the stadium than an important match in Croatia. But the team adopted the right mentality, playing seriously with joy and great effort. All credit goes to the players; I'm obviously very, very happy with such a performance.

As everyone moves on from the World Cup, what role can such a result and performance play in rebuilding the team's belief and embracing the direction you're trying to take them?

That's the only way forward. Even if you still feel the pain, you have to play with it; if you're still disappointed, you have to play with that disappointment – that's the nature of sport. At the start of the training camp, it wasn't easy – after a long major tournament, the initial stages are indeed challenging.

But from the first training session on Tuesday through our preparation against Spain, we delivered an excellent performance, even though we didn't get the ideal result. Then we responded well against the Czech Republic, and now with the tactical foundation I mentioned – the focus in meetings, converting that into execution on the field, and in this specific environment, achieving such a dominant performance against Croatia – this is how we move forward.

I've said many times that there will always be a scar, you'll always feel the pain and disappointment – that's simply reality. But this is precisely how we move forward. Since the World Cup, we've made adjustments, and now across all three games, we've played with the same approach and philosophy. We're becoming increasingly proficient, and the team has fully embraced this. That's what matters most, so all credit goes to the players.

I know there were many excellent individuals today, but I particularly want to ask about the front four, because their aggression was simply outstanding, and the fluidity they showed must be very encouraging for you?

Of course, the support from the full-backs and the penetrating runs breaking the opponent's last line were at the highest level today, and we're improving. That's why I don't want to make too many changes between games – to maintain this fluidity, this coordinated running, and build the right tactical understanding and automatic cooperation within the front four.

Currently, they're working together very, very well, they enjoy playing together, and their work rate and counter-pressing are at an extremely high standard. It's a complete overall performance – with constant overlapping and support from the full-backs and midfielders. It's always the result of teamwork, and the front four currently look extremely threatening.

Hi Thomas, congratulations. Bellingham performed brilliantly at the World Cup and has been equally excellent in this training camp, with his tactical execution spot on. Has he really risen to a new level?

Yes, that certainly seems to be the case. You always need to understand that the level you showed last week will never be enough for next week; that's the nature of football. You can never stand still. If you do, it's like standing on an escalator going in the opposite direction – if you stand still, you get carried backwards. If you're on a reverse-moving escalator, you have to keep moving forward just to stay in the same place. You have to keep developing, striving for a higher level, otherwise other teams will catch up.

That's why we must always pursue a higher level. As I said, we made adjustments, gave the players a strong sense of responsibility, and they're a trustworthy group. Today's performance was extremely impressive. These players combined brilliantly again and executed at the highest level, translating what they learned from the previous two games, training sessions, and tactical meetings into this match.

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