Thomas Tuchel has warned that club managers cannot expect favours from him over the fitness of their England players, insisting “we do what’s good for us”.
England play their second World Cup qualifier in four days against Latvia at Wembley on Monday night, with Tuchel preparing to name his second line-up as head coach.
Anthony Gordon has returned to Newcastle United with a hip injury he suffered in the victory over Albania and Tuchel will make some changes, with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers pushing to make his first England start, having won three caps as a substitute.
But Tuchel has made it clear that he will not make any allowances for the fact clubs face busy and pivotal domestic and European schedules after the international break, or worry about upsetting other managers.
Captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice could all start again for England on Monday night and Tuchel said: “Given the fact Declan Rice played in the next [Champions League] match after a 7-1 first leg [win] with Arsenal, I didn’t have the feeling that they think so much about us. So I don’t think we have to break our heads about this [keeping clubs happy].
“I take care of the players. We take care about the schedule. But it would be the wrong signal to tell players now ‘hey, you have tough [club] matches coming up so I rest you now’.
“We have a qualifier to play, we do what’s good for us. We monitor them, we are in contact with the clubs, we are in high-level monitoring where the statuses are known and we won’t take any unprofessional risks. Because first of all I feel responsible for the players. I don’t want the player to be injured, I want the players to play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League – all of them – because I want to watch it, I want to see it.
“So this is where it is and in the end we take care of ourselves and the clubs take care of themselves, and the main focus is taking care of the players.”
Last October, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he had never been “so angry” that John Stones was injured while playing for England before the club’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid last season.
Tuchel, the former Chelsea head coach, acknowledged that he would have preferred his players not to start two games in four days for their countries when he was a club manager, but added: “I know that this window, this camp, is a window where the clubs play at a very crucial time of the season. They play for championships, they play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
“We are very well aware of it, but we also have our own goals, we have our own targets. The players are keen to play and it has to be like this.
“I experienced it many, many times in clubs that players from South American countries don’t even think about dropping one minute because they want to play for their country, they’re proud to play for their country. This is also something that we have to understand and accept.
“I always accepted it as a club manager. I never got involved in line-ups. I never pushed any national coach because I was hoping that my players get picked. I was also hoping that they are proud to play.
“Of course, you’re never happy if something happens. No one can predict that there is no accident, but we have a World Cup qualifier and we’ll make responsible decisions.”
Playmakers could miss out on World Cup
One of the biggest challenges facing Tuchel is how to best accommodate England’s attacking talent, with so many players who prefer to play at No 10 for their clubs.
Tuchel admitted it will be impossible to pick all of the most talented players and even claimed a star name could get left out of his World Cup squad next summer in favour of taking a more balanced group to the tournament.
As well as Bellingham, Rogers, Phil Foden and Morgan Gibbs-White, who are all part of Tuchel’s current squad, England have Cole Palmer, who withdrew through injury, and Jack Grealish, who can play as a No 10 but was not called up.
“There are a lot of No 10 positions,” said Tuchel. “It’s just not possible we play all these No 10 positions. In the end, we need to understand and get the balance right.
“Then some No 10s simply cannot play. We have to get the process right to find the best group. If that means we leave very good and talented players out of the squad this can happen. In the next 16 months, it is important we find the right team and not the most talented 26 players. We need to get the team right. We need to get the team spirit right because it’s one thing to play qualifiers, it’s another thing to play tournament football.”
Declan Rice says the England players need to be more “ruthless” with each other and sometimes may even need a “kick up the a—” if they are to win the next World Cup.
The Arsenal midfielder also shed light on how demanding Thomas Tuchel has been and how he does not want the players to feel “too comfortable” out on the pitch.
Rice said there had been plenty of home truths from England’s new head coach since he took over about what it takes to win.
“We are all comfortable with each other off the pitch but sometimes on the pitch it’s different,” he explained. “Sometimes you feel like you maybe can’t say something or that you can but only to certain people.
“So, I think Thomas has been really good on 11 players – and obviously all 23 [in the match-day squad] – but the players that start being ruthless with each other and say what you want to help each other out and push each other because obviously we want to win the World Cup.
“The best teams that have won have not had one leader in the pitch. They have had four or five or six who can push a group. Thomas has been really good on that.”
There was a clear example after the rather underwhelming 2-0 victory over Albania on Friday – when there was precious little evidence of the “identity” and “excitement” Tuchel is promising – when he called out the disappointing performances of his wingers, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford.
“I think you need that,” Rice argued of individual players being criticised. “You can’t be comfortable. This is top-level international football. Me, personally, I would rather be told that by the manager than it be hidden. I would rather that because then it’s going to give me a kick up the a—.
“It depends on the player. I don’t know how Phil and Marcus have… I didn’t know he’d criticised them. I hadn’t seen that. For me, of course, you’d think: ‘Alright…’ But, also, it would personally spur me on to want to do even better. Even with the manager working with him this week, he isn’t going to take any nonsense. He knows that he’s here to win the World Cup. That’s what we want to do as a group. And to do that, you need to push everyone, and you need to be uncomfortable. And if you’re too comfortable, you’re not going to get anywhere. And I think he knows that. So, I think how he’s been with us this week has been really, really positive.”
‘Sometimes I’m a bit too nice’
Rice, who will win his 64th cap in the World Cup qualifier against Latvia at the age of 26, is regarded as one of the senior figures – and leaders – in the squad.
“I get on with everyone. Sometimes I’m a bit too nice, but definitely that’s a role that Thomas has asked me to take on. Gareth [Southgate] asked me to take on,” Rice explained. “Same at Arsenal where I need to be more demanding. I can be more honest with players.
“To be fair, this year at Arsenal, probably, I’ve taken that step a lot more than what I had done in the past. Obviously, I was captain at West Ham from a young age. So I do have the responsibilities to do that and lead. But, definitely, something I can improve on in my game is that leadership side.
“That’s why you can’t just have one leader. You need a lot of players in a group that come together, can have honest, uncomfortable conversations. Not like conversations where it’s like: ‘He’s saying stuff about me’ and you take it personally. It’s constructive criticism.”
There was, Rice said, a “really good example” of this in a documentary he watched about Manchester City when they won their fourth Premier League title in a row, ahead of his Arsenal side.
“There were a lot of clips of them before the games. And it wasn’t just Walks [Kyle Walker] who was the captain at the time talking,” Rice said. “You had Rodri talking, you had Rúben Dias talking, you had Jack [Grealish] talking. And there was one more player I think it was Kevin [De Bruyne]. Five of them, all talking before a game. And it’s not just one captain it falls on.
“I think as a group, already, even this week, we’ve taken a big step in terms of digesting the past where we could have been better, in terms of losing two finals. How we could have been better in those moments. And obviously now with a new era, pushing on and doing what the manager wants of us.”
There was much talk in the England camp of Tuchel highlighting the lack of “interactions” between the players in losing the European Championship final last summer. “That’s about us taking ownership, about us being on the pitch and when the ball goes out for a throw-in or when someone goes down getting together as a group and talk about the moments and what we are seeing to try and help the group,” Rice said. “They are key moments in games when you can get together and can communicate and I don’t think we did that enough on the final, looking back on it, because those moments can swing games. Thomas has been right in that.”
Tuchel is yet to name a vice-captain to Harry Kane or who will be in his ‘leadership group’ but it would be a surprise if Rice – who he admires – is not in contention or will not play a key role. Does he regard himself as a future England captain?
“Everyone’s dream would be to captain England,” he said. “But H [Kane] as a leader for me he’s surprised me so much over the last few years. He’s been captain the whole time since I’ve been here; how he is with the lads, how he pushes people, the demands he has on himself, what he does for us as a team, is just insane.
“And he’s still got so many years left in an England shirt. So, I can’t really think about being England captain yet because for me and the lads he’s our best captain. Obviously, I got the chance to captain against Belgium on my 50th cap. That was one of the best moments I’ve ever had and it’s one of the feelings I’d love to have again.
“So, at the moment, it’s obviously H. But, of course, in the years to come that would be an honour – once he’s smashed all the records and hopefully lifted the World Cup for us!”
