- 4 months ago
England manager Thomas Tuchel Announces the England Squad for upcoming International matches
03/10/2025
Wembley Stadium, London, UK
03/10/2025
Wembley Stadium, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good morning. As you saw, we only made one change to the squad from last camp.
00:09Noni Madueke is unfortunately injured and Bukayo Saka takes his place.
00:15Tino Livramento is also injured unfortunately and out for this camp,
00:19but we had Choral Kwanza with us last camp as a kind of plus one
00:24because we were not sure about John Stones and Tino in last camp,
00:30so he stays with us. That makes it 21 field players, I guess, and three goalkeepers.
00:39Last camp is only three and a half weeks ago.
00:50Teamwork, team spirit was on the highest level so far.
00:57That's why we decided to invite the same group into this camp
01:03to make more stable what we started to build in the last camp.
01:08Are there players out who deserve to be with us? Yes, for sure.
01:13Is there a way back into the team through performance?
01:18I have 100% for sure, but at the moment we think this is the best and most straightforward decision.
01:30Like I said in last camp, the competition is on to be in the squad,
01:34the competition is on to make it into the squad and then make it into the pitch,
01:40and that still stands.
01:42Okay, thanks so much. Now we're turning to our broadcasters for questions about this squad
01:45and the forthcoming games. Rob Torsett.
01:48Thomas, good to see you. Thanks for explaining that.
01:52There are quite a few headline omissions from the squad from our perspective.
01:56Like always.
01:57As always, but none bigger than Jude Bellingham, who's fit and playing again for Real Madrid.
02:02Why is he not here?
02:03Well, first of all, Jude is a, I understand your focus on Jude, of course.
02:08First of all, he's a very special player.
02:11And for special players, there can always be special rules.
02:14I get this.
02:16But for this camp, we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team.
02:23That applies also then for Jude. He deserves always to be in camp.
02:29I think there is an extra layer or like there's on top of it the situation that he has not gathered fully rhythm yet at Real Madrid.
02:41He is back in the team.
02:43He hasn't finished one full match until now.
02:46He has only started one match.
02:48So he is at the moment in the period where he gets his rhythm, where he gets back to full strength.
02:56There is this extra layer into decision.
03:00But the decision stayed for this camp.
03:03So just to be clear, there's no fitness issue apart from maybe conditioning and his lack of games.
03:08He could have been called up. You could have selected him.
03:10He hasn't. He wanted to be called up.
03:11We had a phone call.
03:14There was no issue from that side.
03:16He just lacks rhythm.
03:17He hasn't finished one complete match, like I said.
03:21And on top of it, we stayed to our decision to go with the same squad.
03:25You know how us in the media are and you know how the fans are.
03:29And you'll know what the optics look like a little bit here.
03:31Because you had that unfortunate incident where you admitted yourself you didn't perhaps use the best choice of words back in June.
03:38Yeah.
03:39When you said that your mum sometimes is repulsed by him.
03:42But you cleared that up.
03:43Thanks for repeating.
03:43I'm sorry to drag it up again.
03:45And you explained English isn't your first language and you'd have used the words differently.
03:50Good.
03:51But then you've also stressed today that the mood in the camp was great last time in the most recent camp.
03:57It has nothing to do.
03:58One has nothing to do with the other.
04:00I suppose that's what I'm going to ask you.
04:01Because you can see how people will start thinking, is there a problem between Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham here?
04:05No, there's also no problem between me and Phil Foden.
04:08There's no problem between me and Jack Grealish.
04:10Very special players.
04:11Phil is back to influencing games, deciding games for Manchester City.
04:17Jack is very close to be the best version of himself.
04:21Very special player, very special character.
04:24There's no problem at all.
04:25And there's no personal problem in a nomination.
04:30Hi, Thomas.
04:31You just touched on it there.
04:32Jack Grealish and Phil Foden both getting back to their best form.
04:35You said there's a way back through performance into the squad.
04:38What would they have to do to make that step to break back into the squad?
04:41Just keep on pushing.
04:42Listen, this is not like to, it is a decision for this camp.
04:48It was, like I said, it was the best camp in terms of team spirit, in terms of teamwork.
04:54This was the best camp so far.
04:56So we decided to invite the same group of players to build on, to make more stable what we built on.
05:06Jack is in a very good moment.
05:10Phil is in a very good moment.
05:12And Adam Wharton deserves to be with us.
05:14Curtis Jones gets his minutes at Liverpool.
05:18Trevor Chalobar plays.
05:20So there are some players who deserve to be with us.
05:23Cole Palmer is injured.
05:24A very special player, a very special character and player who decides matches and can be a special player for us.
05:32This will always be like this.
05:34I think in any single nomination we will have these cases that can be endlessly discussed and can be decided in any way.
05:42But for this camp, we wanted to make it a straightforward decision and stay with the same group because the group deserved to be in camp on the basis of what they did last camp.
05:56And with Jude Bellingham not being in the squad, you said that he wanted to come.
06:01There's probably been a couple of slightly awkward conversations maybe with him.
06:06No, it's not an awkward conversation.
06:07It's just straightforward conversations.
06:09Straightforward conversations give you reason, explain your reasons, and then that's that.
06:16It's not awkward.
06:17You have to, this is necessary to have these conversations.
06:21It's part of a job and the conversations are not awkward, they're straightforward, they're not the nicest ones because it's always nicer to give good news.
06:29But it has to be done in person and we have reasons to decide so and the players have to have accepted.
06:37Hi Thomas, a player who is in the squad, Myles Lewis Skelly, hasn't started for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, did start in the Champions League this week.
06:47But if that situation continues for the rest of the season, is that a problem for you and him?
06:55Maybe it's, then maybe it becomes a problem for him, yeah.
06:59To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of a year.
07:05He was a very good player in camp, a very good teammate in camp, but to just be a good teammate in camp can maybe not be enough to stay the whole year with us.
07:16There is, of course, you have to perform on club level on a regular basis.
07:26At the moment, in last camp he got the credit, he got the credit that I was convinced that we have to take care of him and nominate him because we accelerated his career.
07:37It was our responsibility to call him in camp first place like last season, at the end of last season, so we stick to this.
07:44He was now part of a very successful camp, so he gets the reward for that.
07:50But as you remember, he was not part of the 20-man squad in the match in Serbia.
08:02Still, his behaviour was outstanding, even if he was not part of the squad, his training attitude, his attitude to push and support the guys who were on the pitch was outstanding and on the highest level.
08:18So, yeah, he's maybe one of the players who benefits from this decision to stick with the same squad, but the performance will be also a key factor in the next month.
08:33So, he benefits also from the proximity of the camps that it's only three weeks ago.
08:39You've used a lot of players so far, I mean, some of that's down to injuries, some of that's down to choices, but as we move through the camps and get closer to next summer, will you look to have a more consistent group and could we run out of time for players like Grealish, like Voden who haven't been in the squad?
08:57Well, we do now, we do now, it's a change in our selection, it's the World Cup year, we selected a lot of players, 35-36 in the first two camps, I told you it was a learning from me.
09:10We reached a new level, we reached new standards for ourselves in the last camp, and I think it was clearly visible in the match at Serbia for our fans and for us in the way we played and the way we won,
09:27and so the question is also why not to pick the same players, why not to pick the same squad if they are available, so they have to prove again, they have to prove the point again,
09:37the pressure is on on the players who want to be in camp, but the pressure is always on on the guys who are selected, they set the standards, now they have to make sure that these standards become more stable and this is the chance that they have.
09:54James?
09:55Hi Thomas, sort of following on from that, is it important therefore then that sort of all the players know there are no guarantees, that nobody's guaranteed a place in any of your squads,
10:05they have to earn it every single time?
10:07Yes, yes, 100%, there are no guarantees.
10:10Yeah, because there have been times in the past where it's felt as though some England players have just got in on reputation, but you're kind of making that clear that's just not going to happen under you?
10:20No, you can have a tough spell in your club, but you can be re-selected because of what you did with us and for us, this is possible.
10:29It can be also the other way around, that it was maybe a tough camp for you but you're performing outstanding, I think every case stays individual.
10:38But, yeah, if we say the competition is on, then the competition is on.
10:45We cannot say like for 80% of the squad the competition is on, but for 20% it's not on, it's on, it's on.
10:52The competition is on, the team did very, very well and deserve to be in camp again.
10:59And you've mentioned obviously the importance of team spirit a lot, which must be quite difficult to harness that when you see the players, you know, for a few days, then you don't see them for a while, then you see them again.
11:08So how sort of delicate is that team spirit for you?
11:12Everyone tells me, and this is my experience so far, that in international football it becomes even more relevant to the team spirit.
11:21I believe strongly that it is maybe the most important thing even also in club football, but for sure in international football.
11:29So this group set the standards in the last camp and deserve to be in camp.
11:37The team spirit is the key factor in the end, we want to go to a tournament, we have to qualify first, we want to take our steps until there, we want to develop something special.
11:47And I truly believe that the fans can feel if there is a team out there that loves to play with each other, that loves to run for each other, that is there to give everything.
11:58And I think that was clearly visible in the match against Serbia, so now it's on us to follow up on that.
12:05And for that we didn't take any chances, we took a very straightforward decision to go with the same group of players.
12:12Henry.
12:13Hi Thomas.
12:14Jude Bellingham has just been voted England's Player of the Year by the supporters.
12:18He kept England in the last tournament with his amazing goal against Slovakia.
12:24Can England win the World Cup without Jude Bellingham?
12:27Listen, do I believe that we are a stronger team with Jude? Yes.
12:35Is he one of the best players in the world in midfield? Yes.
12:39But I told you last time when he was injured, what are we doing if a player like Jude is injured before the World Cup?
12:46Do we then cancel our, do we not travel? This is a team sport. This is a team sport. We have to find solutions.
12:53If players are injured, like now Cole Palmer, if we don't select players, we have to find solutions.
12:59And I think we found solutions in the last camp. So this is more about last camp and what we started to build than about the dependency on individual players.
13:14We can have injuries of hugely influential players, not only Jude, but Declan, Harry, John Stones, you name it.
13:23Like you name it. Everyone has his particular role and it can happen right, right in front of the tournament.
13:28And then we have to find, then we have to find solutions.
13:32It can never be the solution to depend on one player in football.
13:36We'll finish back with Rob.
13:37Thomas, I just want to pick up on something you just mentioned a moment ago.
13:40You said the onus is on the players that are here that did so well last time. Those players who want to be here, you said.
13:46Should we read into that maybe that you've had conversations with some players?
13:50Everyone wants to be here.
13:51So you haven't had any reluctance from some players to maybe sign up or you've not been convinced by the commitment?
13:56No, absolutely not. And the players who are very close that we talked about and deserve to be here got a message from me.
14:04The message comes straight back. They wish us a good camp. They just confirm straight away.
14:10I'm disappointed, but I keep pushing. I will keep pushing. I will knock on the door.
14:15So that's it. Everyone is desperate to be in the group. Everyone is desperate to play. There is no one pulled out. Absolutely not.
14:22And then finally, there was a question that was raised by one of our more astute pundits, shall we say.
14:27He said, when you look at the philosophy and identity of the biggest clubs in this country, you look at Manchester City,
14:33possession-based, Liverpool try and play with a high press, Arsenal at the moment very solid at the back, good at set pieces.
14:39He said, if your England was a club right now, what philosophy and identity would that have?
14:45I thought that was a good question. Good question. Not sure if the time is enough.
14:51I think we started building an identity for our national team within the last camp.
14:58We needed some learning. We changed the structure in the first two camps.
15:04The idea behind it was to help the player, make it more comfortable for the players.
15:10Then I had the feeling it's maybe too much information, too much change because we come from different clubs.
15:17They come from different systems.
15:19Crystal Palace plays very different to Liverpool, to Manchester City and to Arsenal.
15:26And still they are very successful. And we have players from Aston Villa.
15:31So instead of copying and pasting, I think we tried to find our own principles and our own identity.
15:42We were trying this. I think we could see it in Serbia that we were playing a high…
15:51I thought we were playing like a Premier League team. We were playing with high intensity.
15:56We played a high press in the opponent's half. We played with a high ball speed.
16:03We didn't wait for the pressure of the opponent. Ball speed was a big thing for us to increase
16:10and to overcome the middle block or the deep block more fluid.
16:14So we will build on these principles because we think they are easy to learn.
16:19They are clearly easy to understand. And maybe less is more than for us.
16:26Club teams, club coaches have much more time to be deep into details and to mould their systems into detail.
16:35It's the nature of international football. Different players come from different styles and different clubs.
16:43So we tried to create something for us that still reflects the fans, the attitude towards the game.
16:55So we played a very emotional, we played a very courageous match and had a very courageous, brave approach in Serbia.
17:06And the players feel happy about this and feel also like they are well represented in this kind of style.
17:15And this is what we will keep on going. We have a very complicated, very difficult match against Wales to play here,
17:23which is in itself not friendly. And they are very, very well coached teams.
17:28So there is a next step to go. And then very likely in Latvia we have to break down a deep block again.
17:34So we have to be on top of our game and to take the next step.
17:38Okay, guys. We'll conclude it there. Thanks for your time.
17:42Cheers.
17:43Right, this way.
17:45Yep.
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