"My next door neighbour could be the England manager" - Paul Gascoigne makes big claim as he critiques Three Lions' 'crap football'

England icon Paul Gascoigne has emphatically criticized the style of football employed by the Three Lions under new boss Thomas Tuchel. The 57-year-old branded the German manager's tactical setup as "crap" and blasted the side's negative approach.

An attacking midfielder during his playing career, Gascoigne made his national debut in 1988 under legendary manager Sir Bobby Robson. He racked up 10 goals and nine assists in 57 appearances for the English national team.

After suffering a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of EURO 2024, Gareth Southgate stepped down from his role as England manager. While interim manager Lee Carsley lost just one game out of the six that he took charge of, it was announced that Tuchel will take over from January 2025.

In his first two games in charge, the Three Lions have secured comfortable wins over Albania (2-0) and Latvia (3-0). While the victories have been solid, their defensive approach has been subjected to criticism from fans and media alike.

The latest to chastize Tuchel is Gascoigne, who delivered a scathing, no-holds-barred review of his tactics. Speaking to Poker Scout, the Englishman said (via Daily Star):

"We've had so many foreign managers, you know. But what English manager can we have? We've just had one, (Lee) Carsley, and he didn't want the job. But it doesn't make any difference what manager we have. My next door neighbour could be the England manager."

"It's the players on the pitch who have got to perform. They just keep playing back and forward and sideways. Crap football, I don't like it. You know, we never look forward. Like Harry Kane, sometimes you see him with the ball at centre half doing cross field passes. He shouldn't be there," Gascoigne added.

England's next fixture, the third match in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, will be against Andorra on June 7.

"He is a pleasure to work for" - England captain Harry Kane makes claim about new manager Thomas Tuchel

England skipper Harry Kane has claimed that his teammates and himself are very pleased with new manager Thomas Tuchel.

Goals from Reece James (38'), Kane (68') and Eberechi Eze (76') sealed a comfortable 3-0 win against Latvia in Tuchel's second game in charge of the Three Lions (March 24). Just three days prior to that, the Bayern Munich man had found the back of the net (77') along with debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly (20') as they secured a 2-0 win over Albania.

Although both wins looked comprehensive on paper, Kane admitted that his side fought very hard to secure the result. While he acknowledged the difficulty, he affirmed his confidence in Tuchel, calling him a "fantastic" coach.

Speaking to ITV after the victory over Latvia, the 31-year-old said (via GOAL):

"I think there were more patterns of play, more chances than Friday. But again it was tough, playing against 11 behind the ball. Overall we can be pleased with two wins and two clean sheets. We had to be patient. Thomas Tuchel is fantastic, he has settled in straight away. He is a pleasure to work for, he has brought the passion."