Chelsea and England legend John Terry has called out Three Lions coach Thomas Tuchel for unfairly singling out Tottenham right-backRaff Tindale13:43, 03 Jul 2026Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry has accused Thomas Tuchel of picking on Tottenham full-back Djed Spence at this summer’s World Cup. Terry, who won 78 caps for his country, believes that Tuchel would not exhibit the same behaviour toward Trent Alexander-Arnold and may have picked Spence over the Real Madrid defender as he is an easier target.‌Tuchel has continually berated Spence from the touchline throughout England’s four games at this summer’s tournament, two of which the Tottenham full-back has started. The German has continually and arguably unjustly singled out the 25-year-old, despite the Three Lions’ entire back line appearing nervy at times.‌Terry, who appeared on Piers Morgan’s World Cup Uncensored show, is worried over Tuchel’s treatment of Spence and the team’s other less established stars, insisting that the German wouldn’t dare to act in a similar manner with the bigger names.‌Tuchel controversially did not pick Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden on the grounds of squad harmony for this tournament. But with both Reece James and Tino Livramento picking up injuries, the omission of the former Liverpool man appears more of an oversight from Tuchel every day.“I don’t know if you’ve seen the images and videos of him going mad at Spence again in the game [against DR Congo],” Terry said. “I’m not saying he’s picking him out - but he seems like he’s having a proper dig at him.”“I’m a little bit worried,” the former England captain continued. “If that’s Trent, I’m not sure he’s behaving like that. I’m not sure he’s talking to Trent like that.”‌“And maybe that’s an [explanation] of why he’s picked a couple of these players. Because he can go like that to these younger players or these new players in the squad.”Morgan then pointed out that Spence can appear cocky at times, a reason that may contribute toward Tuchel’s treatment of him. Terry delivered his verdict on the 25-year-old: “Listen, I’m not his fan. I don’t think he’s a good defender, I don’t think he’s a good footballer.”‌“But I will say I’ve not seen Tuchel do that to anyone else. It just seems to be on two or three occasions he’s dug Spence out.”The Tottenham full-back was hooked in the second half of England’s last-32 clash versus DR Congo, following a battle with winger Brian Cipenga in which the Congolese repeatedly triumphed. Spence was not, however, the only England player to bear the wrath of Tuchel’s rage in the match versus Congo, as the German was visibly angered after Cipenga’s opening goal squeezed past Jordan Pickford at the near post.Content cannot be displayed without consent‌Spence has now won 10 caps for his country, and will most likely be England’s starting right-back for the remainder of the tournament should Tuchel decide to keep Ezri Konsa at centre-back. Questions over whether Tottenham’s second choice right-back should be starting at the World Cup while serial winner Alexander-Arnold sits at home remain, but with no other natural right-sided full-back in the squad, Tuchel may have little choice in the matter.The German is no stranger to tumultuous relationships within football, and has had his fair share of spats over the years with figures such as Antonio Conte, Kylian Mbappe and Romelu Lukaku. His passion is clear for all to see, and it is difficult to argue that his methods do not yield results.Tuchel’s atypical treatment of Bellingham for example, including omitting him from his squad last year, has lit a fire under the Real Madrid man who has already won two man of the match awards already this tournament. And perhaps for Spence, who has had a mixed tournament at best, England’s last 16 matchup versus Mexico at the Azteca is the perfect opportunity to show the England fans, and remind Tuchel, why he earned his right to be included in the squad in the first place.Article continues belowJoin our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.