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England manager Thomas Tuchel on what he is looking for from players to be chosen for the World Cup
26/03/2026
Wembley, London, UK
26/03/2026
Wembley, London, UK
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00:00But I think the biggest topic of debate that we've had since we last spoke to you is about your
00:05right-back choices.
00:08You called up Ben White, mainly as a right-back. We know he can play centre-back as well.
00:12But again, you chose not to call up Trent Alexander-Arnold. Can you explain that thinking to us, please?
00:18It's just a choice. It's a sportive choice and a difficult choice and maybe a hard choice.
00:24And maybe to a certain degree, maybe unfair, but these choices have to be made.
00:31The choice was for Ben White because I saw him play here in the final, in the cup final against
00:37Manchester City.
00:38He played the Champions League match, I think, before and was straight away back to his old self.
00:45It was the chance for me to meet him in person to see how he interacts with the group.
00:50I think I know what Trent can give us.
00:54So, the choice was for Ben to call Ben up and for Tino Livramento on the right side to stick
01:02with the guys who actually had the good camps with us in September, October, November.
01:06They also need the minutes. There are a lot of players on this position, Chad Spence as well, who fight
01:12also for a ticket.
01:14So, I didn't want to leave them out.
01:16I know that it creates noise when you leave a player like Trent out.
01:22But, yeah, we had a call. I tried to explain the situation, but it just has to accept it.
01:32The players that are here will be thinking this international break is kind of their last chance to impress you
01:37before you've got a big decision to make.
01:40And some of these players aren't going to be here for the second camp as well.
01:44You're going to have to release a few of them.
01:46Do you sense that the pressure is building? Do you sense an extra intensity amongst the group because of all
01:50of that?
01:50No, there are a lot of players who are new, new with me, or completely new as newcomers in the
01:56England camp, or they had a long break and are back, so first time with us.
02:01But it's a good atmosphere.
02:04We addressed it straight away that this is the last camp because it is a reality that it's last camp,
02:08so why not to straight away address it?
02:12And encouraged everyone to be the best version of themselves, but be also good teammates.
02:16We know that they want to impress. We know that they want to compete.
02:20You can say against each other, but it is a team. We try to build a team. It's a team
02:26effort, and everyone behaves in that way.
02:28We demanded a positive attitude. We demanded from everyone that everyone tries to connect as quick as possible to each
02:35other, which they did.
02:37It was a very positive atmosphere, and I think we are ready to have a good match tomorrow.
02:42Will everything work smoothly and automatically on the pitch? Maybe not, but it is not easy to take.
02:51It comes with a bit of pressure, and it comes with scrutiny, but that's the job for the players as
02:57well, and that's the situation in which they are in.
03:00It's a very positive pressure because they fight for England, and they fight for a ticket for the World Cup,
03:07and there is also a lot of football still to be played on club level, on European level, and I
03:12will be in the stadiums, and I will be in front of the TV and keep on watching.
03:16So, decisions will be made late in May, and tomorrow is just a chance to impress, and at the moment,
03:23everyone is positive, and as you wish it to be.
03:28Alex.
03:30Hi, Thomas. These players have got a chance to impress you for this week. When will you make the decision,
03:37or are there players who you've got this week, who you are planning to send away, that are going to
03:41stay longer than planned, or when will you make that decision?
03:44I will make the decision on Friday night after the match, because then we have clear feedback about injuries, and
03:52we have clear feedback about the guys who are coming in, and then are in camp.
03:56So, we also need to re-evaluate their situation, and then we take the decision. Some players know that this
04:03can be the case, and they had enough time to digest it, because it's more of a chance than of
04:10a negative thing.
04:14There are many ways to impress. You can impress, of course, tomorrow on the pitch with a top performance, but
04:20you can also impress as a teammate, you can impress in training, you can impress off the pitch,
04:25on a social level. So, there are many ways to impress, and everyone is on their best behaviour, as you
04:32can imagine. But it's nice that they are not fighting against each other, they are fighting with each other.
04:38At the moment, everyone believes that he can start tomorrow, decisions are not made, and there will be some disappointment.
04:45I think this is normal on Saturday morning, when we split the group.
04:50But the group that stays in the second camp deserves full attention and deserves to be a small group, and
04:58that we can support them and push them to the second match.
05:03We've just had Nani Maduweke in here speaking about his England career and chances. He's in a unique position, where
05:10he competes with Bukayo Saka at club level, and then the international team as well.
05:16How do you see that battle? What does it bring out in him, and what do you like that Nani
05:20Maduweke brings to the England team?
05:23First of all, I like that he plays for Arsenal, of course, and is involved in so many chances for
05:29titles, and that he is in a competitive environment.
05:33It is sometimes difficult, because he competes with one of the very best. He himself can be one of the
05:39very best.
05:39I believe that we saw the best versions of him in June, where we had a difficult camp, but he
05:46was maybe our best player in Andorra.
05:49And he had a very strong camp in September, an outstanding match against Serbia.
05:56And then quite a tricky injury, and Bukayo took over at Arsenal and Bukayo took over at England for us.
06:05So, they're fighting for it. I strongly believe that we need more than one player on each position.
06:11So, yeah, it will be, in the end, a good competition for us.
06:15Nani was very, very strong, and he needs to show up tomorrow and show that he can continue where he
06:22left,
06:22because he was not with us October, November. So, it's quite a long time, but we have high expectations.
06:28He's in good spirits. I will try to push him, because I think he needs that.
06:35He gets a little push, and then he's in the responsibility to deliver.
06:40Kerry.
06:41Thomas, good evening. Maybe one of your toughest decisions, as you name this squad,
06:46Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, two quality players.
06:50Can you describe, from your point of view, the profiles they offer you to take to a World Cup,
06:55and how hard that decision might be from the training camps this week?
07:00Yeah, quite similar, both left-footed, both good in the half position,
07:05both very good in the first steps with the ball.
07:08They can drop a shoulder, beat players in both directions.
07:12High understanding of the game. They love to put other players into action.
07:18They love to assist. They love to play risky passes.
07:23I think maybe Cole takes a little bit more risk in his game than Phil.
07:29Phil has played several times now also for City on an eighth position.
07:33very, very responsible, and is maybe a bit more physical in terms of non-stop running.
07:43Cole has these little outbursts of pace and speed and creativity,
07:48but they're quite similar, and they're both on the highest level.
07:51When you see them in training, it's pure joy, because every little exercise,
07:55they show their quality and they're in love with the ball, and the ball is in love with them.
07:59So, it's a pleasure to watch, and in the end we will have a difficult position,
08:05because there come some other players also into camp on the number 10 position.
08:09So, it will be a tough one.
08:12And also, looking at Calvert-Lewin and Dom Solanke, who have come into the squad in this.
08:18How hard is it to find the player to come into the squad as the understudy to Harry Kane,
08:24or the man to step in when Harry Kane isn't available?
08:26Very difficult, because Harry is Harry as our captain and the goal-getter,
08:30and of course, a starter for us.
08:37The question is then always, if we are chasing a result, do we really take Harry off?
08:43And when is the chance to be a substitute for Harry?
08:48When is that moment?
08:50Or do we even look for someone who can play with Harry?
08:53Do we even look for someone who is maybe then also a good penalty taker?
08:58Because maybe in the heat, Harry is maybe not on the pitch anymore when it comes to penalties.
09:03So, who can replace him there?
09:05So, these are the questions that we have to answer.
09:10But first of all, it's important that the two of them understand that it's a big chance to be in
09:15camp without Harry,
09:16and not like to sit on the bench and wait for 10 minutes or 15 minutes,
09:20but to compete actually for a real chance to start and get good quality minutes.
09:31That's what they're up to. That's the challenge for the both of them.
09:36Like all of them, they are very positive about it, and I feel that they really want to show what's
09:42in them.
09:43We had a very good training session yesterday, and hopefully they can prove the point tomorrow.
09:49Hi, Thomas. Can you tell us who your captain will be tomorrow?
09:53Good question. Normally, I would say between John Stones, Jordan Henderson, Jordan Pickford, one of the three.
10:02So, you haven't decided yet?
10:03Depends who starts, and then I will decide.
10:06The last friendly here in October against Wales, the atmosphere was a little quiet.
10:12Do you need a bit of patience from the fans tomorrow night, given what you're working towards?
10:16Yeah, that would be ideal, but I understand if you come, you have also high expectations.
10:26So, will everything work out smoothly from the start, and everyone will find its position, its rhythm?
10:32I mean, there will also be some nervous players there, and they will find their way into this game.
10:41This would be normal, if it's the case. We play, don't forget, we play against high-quality opponents with high
10:47-quality players,
10:48like up front and in midfield. It's like, really, really, they play for top clubs. It's a top coach.
10:54So, it's a tricky one. And, yeah, we need to fight our way into it. We need to run our
11:01way into it. We need to be physical.
11:02If not everything is maybe straight away clear. So, yeah, we need all to be patient.
11:11But at the same time, I expect us to play with freedom and to play with excitement and to take
11:17the chance and not hesitate.
11:20Thomas, hi. Before past World Cups, England would often play opposition from around the world to prepare them for the
11:27group stage,
11:28because obviously you're mainly focused on European opposition. But is that so important now?
11:33Because a lot of the players play in Europe, so there's a familiarity. And are all styles around the world
11:38becoming a little bit more familiar?
11:42I'm not sure if the styles become familiar. I have the feeling everyone is doing really complicated things.
11:49And I see in every opponent, I see new stuff that I haven't seen before. And we need to come
11:55up with new solutions,
11:58be it against Wales last time, which was so difficult to find the right press, be it against Serbia,
12:05who had a new coach, where we needed to adapt our press after 20 minutes because we couldn't get it
12:13fully right.
12:14And if you don't get it fully right, everyone plays now with the goalkeeper. Everyone has options to play short.
12:20Everyone has options to go long. Everyone tries to catch you out in a one-on-one counter movement and
12:28whatever.
12:29There are so many different styles. Now we play against Bielsa. Anything is off textbook. Everything is off textbook.
12:38So we need to be on our top level. And I have the feeling it doesn't matter anymore if you
12:45play from which part of the world you play.
12:48It's getting more and more complicated.
12:52Hi, Thomas. In the past few camps, you've been very clear about having a very clear system and roles for
12:59players.
13:00For example, in midfield, you've had a 6-8-10. In Albania, you changed it up a bit, 6 and
13:06double 10s.
13:06You explained it was because of the way that they were playing.
13:09But do you see tomorrow and Tuesday as an opportunity to change your system up a bit as well?
13:15Are you going to try a few different things in that sense?
13:19I mean, we have so many new players and the players who were with us, it was really like a
13:24long time since we are together.
13:25So we focused on re-establish the things that we were good at.
13:29So, yeah, I'm not sure if we see a lot of new stuff because I think that the focus is
13:38more on re-establishing the things that we did good and then adapt to what the opponents demand.
13:48We have the feeling that, or we predict that Uruguay will play with three very mobile midfielders, which is a
13:57bit similar to the Albanian game.
13:59So they change position, they rotate, they play with two wide aggressive wingers and the classic No. 9 with Nunes.
14:07So, yeah, a lot of quality and a lot of very unique style of playing, of build-up and how
14:15they want to create chances.
14:17Very physical, a lot of running that we have to match, otherwise it's not possible.
14:23But we try to re-establish our principles in our structure and then we adapt details in order to make
14:34the press easier or to make the starting positions easier for the players to not end up in awkward positions
14:41or in awkward moments.
14:42But, yeah, we cannot fully predict everything because opponents are strong, opponents change their style of play, but that's basically
14:50the approach that we took.
14:51And just on a slightly different question, you've mentioned before about the importance of cherishing coming to England and respecting
14:59the shirt and so forth.
15:01You asked about Ben White earlier. Ben was unavailable for three years to not play for England.
15:09Why do you think a player that made that decision deserves the opportunity to play for England at a World
15:14Cup?
15:17Why do I think that? First of all, I think everyone deserves a second chance. Second, I don't know exactly
15:24what happened.
15:25I was also not 100% interested in that because I wanted to open a new page and a new
15:32book and a new opportunity.
15:33Once I asked Ben if he would be ready to play for me and for England, he straight away without
15:38hesitation said he would love that and he would love to come back and is desperate to come back.
15:46I think when the chance opened up for him with the injury of Gerald Kwanza very late, the reaction came
15:52within seconds and was very euphoric and very positive, very emotional about it.
15:57That showed me that he really means it. The way he behaves and the way he trained here in camp
16:02is exceptional, very, very good.
16:04It shows his quality. I think it is necessary that he clears the air with his teammates and I think
16:13he does and I think he will once players come back who were in the World Cup together with him.
16:21And then we go from there. Let's see how it goes and let's see how he feels, if he feels
16:27as confident and as comfortable as he thought he would.
16:31Until now, this is the case and he has my support. Hopefully, he gets the support from the spectators and
16:41we take it from there.
16:44Last two friendlies before the World Cup. How much is the World Cup in your mind and how much advance
16:49are you in making the decision?
16:51Maybe not about the players, but about the style of play, about the type of score you want to have
16:54in the USA?
16:57If you believe it or not, I think I will take all these decisions very, very late and maybe when
17:02we are in the US, when I feel actually the heat and when I feel the fatigue of the players,
17:08when I feel the consequences of the heat and humidity on the players, I think then we will take maybe
17:18all these decisions.
17:19We spent a lot of time thinking and planning about the World Cup before camp, but during this camp all
17:27our energy went into our group here because they deserve it and all the energy went into preparing this match
17:33tomorrow.
17:34This is how it normally is. I think this is how it will be in the World Cup as well.
17:40Once you're in it, you just work your way through day by day, through the defensive patterns, offensive patterns, through
17:48the meetings and then you re-watch the game and debrief your meetings and debrief your training sessions and the
17:56next day comes.
17:56So this is the nice part of it. We will think about the World Cup and the nomination after the
18:04camp, not now.
18:06And for tomorrow everything that counts is that we play positive and we play with energy and positive attitude and
18:12we take a chance again to re-establish our patterns of play and hopefully we get another win.
18:20It will be difficult, I guess, because the opponent is strong, but this is where all the energy goes at
18:25the moment.
18:26Thanks everyone. Cheers.
18:30Thanks for this.
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