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00:05Good morning everyone and welcome to Wembley Stadium for this squad announcement for the
00:092026 FIFA World Cup. Before we get underway, Thomas will begin with a few opening remarks
00:14and then we'll throw it open to two questions per person.
00:17Good morning everyone, thanks for coming and of course you saw our squad selection for the
00:23World Cup which is an exciting day for me and I think for everyone selected. I think from day one
00:32we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team which is not
00:41necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players. Teams win championships, it's
00:49as simple as that and what we are trying to achieve in summer can only be achieved as a team.
00:57That in mind, we chose a very balanced squad. We chose three goalkeepers plus Jason Steele.
01:06I want to take the opportunity and thank Jason for being brilliant and thank Brighton for being so
01:13cooperative and supportive. We chose nine defenders for four positions, we chose seven midfielders for
01:21three positions and we chose seven strikers for three positions. I can assure every fan in the country
01:28that we have 26 100% committed players in camp with us who know their role,
01:37people who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and who are ready and committed
01:46to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.
01:52The squad, I think, has a significant number of players that will compete for starting minutes and
02:00starting places. That gives us also the chance to rotate on a very high level and a significant number
02:09of players who carry the sportive responsibility on highest level. We have a huge chunk of usefulness
02:17in the squad. We have six players who won titles with the under-21s. We have Kobe who is still
02:25young
02:25and has already won his titles. We have Nico O'Reilly on top who is very young and has already
02:30won his
02:31medals. We have specialists with us, specialists for all kinds of different scenarios when we're leading,
02:40when we're chasing a game, when we're chasing a result. We always said we want to be a strong set
02:48-piece
02:48team so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team. We have specialists for
02:53that.
02:56And last and for sure not least, we have a decent leadership group in camp. We have a decent leadership
03:01group with us in the World Cup. The leadership group took care and ownership in a very special way
03:09from September onwards. They created a culture, they set the tone, they set the standards, created and
03:17took care of the standards and we were very happy with that. And that is why the majority of this
03:23team and
03:23the majority of the selection is from the players who were with us in September, October and November.
03:33It's important for me to say that I am very grateful to all players who helped us qualify,
03:41to all players who had sometimes only one of six camps with us.
03:47I'm very grateful and I tried to show my respect and my appreciation for what they have done in telling
03:57them in personal phone calls in the last three days about my decision. So I called every player that was
04:05at least once at least once with us personally to tell them my decision, even if it was a painful
04:13decision or it was a disappointing message.
04:16We believe that it has to be delivered from me. I will not go into details, of course, but I
04:22try to explain
04:23and explain my decision and try to express my appreciation and respect for the player.
04:32No more questions?
04:34Good.
04:35Hundreds.
04:37So it's nice to see you and thanks for explaining that. That's very helpful. You've surprised us again.
04:44I want to start with perhaps what we thought was the biggest surprise and that's Ivan Toni's inclusion.
04:50He's played a total of seven minutes of international football in your 16 months in charge. He wasn't on
04:55a lot of people's radar and yet here he is in your World Cup squad. Can you explain that to
04:59us?
04:59Also a bit of a surprise to us. Like I said, when it came down to all different kinds of
05:06scenarios,
05:07he was back in the picture. I had fantastic feedback from his coach, from his club coach who was my
05:16player and I have a close connection with him. I have always fantastic feedback about his role there,
05:22about his ability, about his fitness. We could see that he still collects the numbers.
05:29I think he has very special skills that could help us, meaning the situation, the scenario when we are
05:37chasing a result, when we're chasing a goal. I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane.
05:43He can be a presence in the box when we're pushing for a goal. He can take attention of other
05:53strikers.
05:54He has a natural presence within the box. He's a natural finisher. He can help us with set pieces,
06:01because he's very strong in the air, very good in using his body and not to forget he's a world
06:07-class
06:07penalty taker. So he ticks some boxes that we wanted to be ticked.
06:14You've made it clear again in your opening statement that reputation, big names are not
06:19necessarily what matters to you, it's how they fit in the collective. And you've said that
06:23consistently I think in all your time in charge to be fair. But there are some world-class talents
06:28that are not in this squad that other nations will look at and say, how are Phil Foden,
06:32Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, etc., Morgan Gibbs-White, how are they not in this
06:38squad? How have you left them out? Do you fear leaving their talents out? Do you fear leaving
06:44those talents at home at all? How I felt or how I feel? Do you fear? Do you fear leaving
06:50those
06:50talents at home? No, I don't fear because I'm very confident in the group that we chose and with
06:57whom we arrived. Very difficult decisions, painful conversations, difficult for the players, difficult
07:10to explain to the players. But as I said, what we're trying to achieve, we try to achieve as a
07:17team and
07:18we try to nominate a balanced squad. If everyone is selected, it was a given that from these 55 players,
07:26we have to leave some extraordinary talents, some extraordinary personalities at home.
07:33Either way, if we would have picked all these names, some other big five names would have been out
07:38and we would talk about these names. So that comes with a job. I like these kind of decisions, even
07:46if
07:47they took us weeks and sometimes months to clarify the decisions. I think they bring clarity, I think they
07:55bring in the end a certain edge that is necessary. I tried to explain the reasons for the players.
08:05Could they be in camp? Did they do anything wrong? No. Could they be in camp? Yes, 100% sure.
08:11But for some of them, it's just the amount of players on a certain position. We didn't want to play
08:18the
08:18the players out of position so much and we don't want to give them a clear role and it comes
08:23with
08:24difficult and and maybe hard choices in the in the in the build-up to the tournament.
08:31Hi, Thomas. You said a lot of painful decisions to make for players and difficult phone calls.
08:37One player who's released a statement saying he was disappointed is Harry Maguire.
08:41Do you understand him releasing a statement or were you a bit surprised to see that after you spoke to
08:46him?
08:48I was a bit surprised, but I respect his personality a lot. I respect his his quality a lot. He
08:56had an
08:56outstanding season. I can see the disappointment. I can I can see the reason behind the disappointment.
09:03Still, I was a bit surprised because he we we had a private we had a private conversation and he
09:08had the
09:09chance to express his feelings, which he did. And this is this is fair enough because I can see all
09:14the
09:14reasons why he could be in the squad. But the decision is that we that we stood firmly with our
09:21central defenders
09:22that that carried us through September, October, November. There are some of them are part of a
09:29leadership group that took ownership and and set the standards high. And we just it was a decision
09:35for these 23 for these 26 players, even if it feels that it's against individuals.
09:44Thomas, can you confirm, please, the the makeup of the of the leadership group and and how you
09:50came to make those decisions with regard to the identity of those players?
09:56Thomas, how I decided who's in the leadership? Yeah, why you decided that we had a March camp
10:01and we had a June camp and that it was was pretty clear for us who should be in there.
10:05I see no value
10:06in sharing it with you, to be honest. So I will keep it. I will keep it to myself. It's
10:11a it's a group of
10:12five, six players. And this is always like it's always a fluidity possible in the group. But they took ownership,
10:19they took care and and they were massively influential. And I was very, very happy with the
10:25with the way they they acted and interacted and how they stepped up. So there is no need to change
10:31that.
10:32Just a quick one. Will you be inviting any extra players for the for the Florida camp to make up
10:38for
10:38the Arsenal players and and Dean Henderson missing out because of their commitments at club level?
10:43Yeah, I think Dino. Dino is not an issue because we have Jason Steele in camp. So we can start
10:49with
10:49three goalkeepers and later we have four. But yeah, we will take some some some young players out who
10:55will train with us and keep the the the the squad and the size that we need that we have
11:01all the
11:01possibilities also for the for the two friendly matches to take care about the minutes and the load
11:06of the players. So this will be Alex Scott is confirmed. Rio Ngoa is confirmed and Josh King.
11:13And there will be one more player which we cannot name because it's not confirmed yet. But I'm happy
11:19that these guys are with us, especially Alex, who was even on the list of 55 and had a kind
11:25of a
11:25disappointing phone call as well that he didn't make the first cut. But the reaction of him was was
11:31outstanding. The the the commitment, the wish to be in in pre-camp and and to just be a be
11:38a step
11:38closer to the team was was just it was not even a question for him. And and just showed me
11:45his
11:45character and his spirit. So I'm delighted that he's with us because it was a close call and gets a
11:51chance to take a step closer and to get a cap.
11:56Thomas, a big day for you. I know how much you love your players. So I know it's been a
12:00really
12:00tough 48 hours, but you're brought in here to make tough decisions. You're a winner. 60 years of hurt
12:06now. What makes you believe you can win this World Cup? I heard recently a quote from from from Rafa
12:14Nadal
12:14who said, I'm not a winner. I'm a I'm a competitor. I'm a I'm a challenger. And that is basically
12:20how I
12:21arrive in the U.S. for this tournament. I'm I'm hungry. I arrive with hunger. I arrive with excitement
12:27and I arrive as a competitor and as a challenger. And I think that is the role for us as
12:32a team.
12:33That is how I want the team to play. This is how I want the team to to to develop.
12:39And this is why we
12:40picked that squad. And that's why I'm so sure that we picked the right squad. It is about building a
12:45brotherhood. It is about building excitement and and a certain energy. And then I feel that we can
12:51transmit this to our fans who are either in the stadium or back here in England pushing. And once
12:58we get this energy right, everything is possible. So we said it very early. We will try to go all
13:05the way.
13:06We will try to win this tournament, but it's very, very quickly. It just makes no sense to try and
13:12digest
13:13the whole the whole cake at once. We will chunk it up. We will try to have the best possible
13:19pre-camp,
13:20have a little break in between and then go to Kansas, switch locations and go into the tunnel
13:27to start the group phase. Where there is no doubt in quality is Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham. Some
13:33people will see that as a problem in terms of selection. How do you prepare to handle a very nice
13:38problem? I think they are just two of the names who are potential starters, who are potential starters
13:46on the same position. I think there is still variety within these positions. So they can also play
13:55together. That should not be a problem. If they compete for one position through the tournament, I think
14:02it is possible to compete for a position as a complices and you don't have to be enemies. In the
14:08example of Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham, they are friends anyway. We have a couple of others.
14:15We have Bukayo Sacco and Noni who fight for the same place in the club. I strongly believe that it
14:23is
14:23possible that you fight for your place and still push your friend, your colleague, especially in international
14:29football to the best possible performance. That will come back to you. We took a lot of care
14:37about that, that exactly this energy is right. They know their roles. I have no doubt that we chose
14:45the right players. I have no doubt that Jude and Morgan will get along well. I have no doubt that
14:51they
14:51will be both decisive for us. David? Hi, Thomas. You have picked Jon Stones, who hasn't played a lot
14:58of football for Manchester City this season, very experienced. Is he ready to play a meaningful part
15:02on the pitch for your team? Yes, otherwise I would not have picked him. He is excited to come and
15:08I am
15:08excited to have him. I am a huge believer in Jon. I think he is a world-class player. He
15:14is an amazing
15:16character and a proven winner. He knows how to adapt to a winning culture. He knows how to adapt
15:25tactically on the field. He is still on the highest level when I see him play, when I see him
15:32move.
15:33We analysed a lot of his training data because I get your question. There is not a lot of proof
15:39in the
15:40last half of the season, unfortunately. The good news is he was available, so he was not out. He was
15:46available. The bad news was he wasn't selected as much as we all hoped for, but I think we can
15:52take
15:52advantage of our late start to the tournament in this case. We have still, I think, over four weeks
15:58until our first match. We will give him now. We will reconnect with our principles. We have the chance
16:05to let him play two friendly matches and then I hope and I truly believe that he will have a
16:11strong
16:11tournament for us. Another player you have picked, Noni Mediweke. Why have you picked him over, say,
16:17someone like Jarrod Bowen or even maybe Cole Palmer, who could play on the right as well?
16:20Yeah, I mean, you mentioned Jarrod. Jarrod was just one of the players under the radar, maybe,
16:26but he was just excellent in every camp. Excellent in every camp for us and then gets the phone call
16:33that he's not on the plane. Does Jarrod suffer a bit from the situation at his club? It's difficult for
16:39him.
16:39And does Noni and Bukayo profit from the situation at their club? They play in finals. They back the
16:47Premier League title. They play in a Champions League final. So it's a question of concurrence.
16:53Without telling too much, the reaction of Jarrod was just outstanding. It just proved again what kind of
17:02character he is, how much he buys into the team's spirit, even if it was a difficult one and a
17:09disappointing message for him. It was a very difficult choice to make. Noni was excellent for us in the
17:15matches that he played. I believe that he can be a difference maker. I even believe that he didn't play
17:22so regularly, but he's used to coming on, coming off can be a big advantage. And I believe in his
17:30ability to change matches and his ability to disrupt defensive organizations with his one-on-one. So
17:37that was a choice. Ethan and Henry. Hi Thomas, UK. I just wanted to focus on one specific player
17:45that might have raised a few eyebrows. The left back position, Jed Spence. You know, he's currently
17:54playing at Spurs. They're fighting for relegation at the moment. A lot of people are seeing that he's
18:00got no goals this season, no assists. I guess, what was the specific tactical reason of choosing him?
18:07First of all, he was excellent in every single match that he played for us. He suffers from the
18:15third change of coach at his club. Since then, he doesn't get a lot of minutes. Of course, he suffers
18:23from
18:23the situation. He is part of the situation as well. He's a part of the situation at Tottenham.
18:29He brings something to the group that we don't have in his profile. I think he loves defending. He's
18:35the fastest player in our squad and he loves to defend one-on-ones. And that is just a characteristic
18:42that I would say makes him a standout fullback for us and a bit of a special fullback for us.
18:49He can,
18:49on top of that, play both sides. We had this discussion, to be very open to you, before the
18:56March camp with Chad. We said, we're a bit concerned about what's going on in Tottenham. You don't get
19:02the minutes. You don't have the impact that we want to see from you. If you come here in March,
19:07you have to prove yourself again, which he honestly did because both of our fullbacks,
19:12Tino and Chad, were just excellent against Uruguay. That was basically the decision that I can really
19:20trust him and he brings something to our group, which makes him unique.
19:25Thomas, hi. First, good luck at the World Cup. Thanks.
19:30Secondly, you say that teams win championships and that it's not about the most talented players,
19:36but the history of the World Cup. It's Messi, it's Mbappe, it's Ronaldo, Romario, Zidane. I mean,
19:44these are individuals who've won World Cups. How do you balance that?
19:49I think we have these names and hopefully we have one name in the end of it that says like
19:54he carried
19:55the team or he had the decisive moments. I think we have world-class players within our ranks. We have
20:02big
20:02names, but everyone, like I said, is committed to buy into the idea as a team, is ready to be
20:08selfless.
20:12We have proof of that and that's why I feel very confident. I agree with you. It seems like the
20:20big names are around, but if I look at our squad, I see some big names who can have all
20:25the headlines
20:25if we go all the way. Hi, Thomas. Hi. You mentioned squad rotation earlier, and I just wondered how
20:33important is it to you that as many players as possible get minutes in, particularly in the group
20:38stages? Is that something that's a priority? I'm not so, yeah. Ideally, yes. But once we're in group
20:48stage, I will maybe adapt and change my mind or adapt to the way of rotating. The challenge is clear.
20:59It will be hot, it will be humid. We can have a game in huge altitude, so it's one match
21:06more than usual
21:07because of the amount of teams. Would it make sense to rotate? Yes. And does it show also a level
21:13of trust
21:14to the players that we trust? Yes. I think we have a significant amount of players who hope to start,
21:24and it's more than just 11, so we will be able to rotate on a high level and give minutes
21:31and spread
21:31the minutes. Hopefully we can do this without losing momentum, without losing connections between the
21:41players because we haven't played in certain formations since November. In March camp, some key players were
21:50injured, so it has to be a mix, I think, of everything. History shows that it makes sense to rotate
21:57in the
21:57beginning of the tournament, but I also don't want to lose the chance to build automatism and to build
22:06connections on the pitch. You spoke about the spirit the squad need to have to win the World Cup. I
22:15was
22:15wondering how much of the spirit is already there, in your opinion, and how much you have to build it
22:20during the camp? When I see the 26 reactions in the last three days to my phone call, then I
22:28think the
22:28spirit is there. It was amazing to see. I wish everyone could have seen what it means to the players,
22:34the joy, the emotion to get this phone call, even of players, where you could think that he should be
22:42sure that he's on the plane, what it means to them. It would be nice to share it, actually. That
22:49just
22:49shows me that we chose the right group. We have to be sure because we want to be a long,
22:54long time
22:55together and we will be together 24-7. So no one can drive home and have an afternoon off at
23:02home and relax
23:03and come back the next day. We will stay together. Of course, that's why this is very important.
23:09That's why we rely so heavily on the group that built this kind of spirit throughout these three
23:15camps in September until November. I think we have a big part of it and we will make sure in
23:22the first
23:2210 days, especially in pre-camp, that the players engage, reconnect. They will have the freedom
23:28and the opportunity to reconnect off the pitch to make it a special summer for us.
23:37You said the goal is clear to win the World Cup. What do you think it needs to happen for
23:41England
23:41to actually win the World Cup? Well, the goal is to try to win it and not be shy about
23:45it and then just
23:46to respect the game and the opponents and the amount and the obstacles that come with the tournament
23:54itself. What was the question in the end? Do you think it needs to happen for England?
23:59Well, we need a bit of luck. We need to have our selection right and then we need to stay
24:05healthy. All
24:05the players need to stay healthy, then catch a momentum and build a brotherhood. Like I say,
24:11play with courage, play with hunger and take advantage of special moments, hopefully. Then we need a bit of
24:22luck and crucial moments on our side, of course. Once we go, hopefully, to knock out football,
24:30it's a game of margins and it will not be done without luck and it will not be done without
24:36nerves of steel if you need to overcome overtime or penalty shootouts. Not everything is in our hands,
24:43but I think it's good to just have the goal spoken out. And we did this very early in the
24:52first camp.
24:53And after that, straight away, one minute later, we said, OK, this is clear. That's why we're here.
24:59That's what we're trying to do. But let's focus on what we can influence, which is now in the next
25:03step,
25:04the 10 days in Florida. James. Hi, Thomas. Team chemistry and having good travelers in the group
25:11seems to be such a core idea for you. I just wondered if you'd spoken to anyone specifically
25:15about that, whether it's like other international coaches or Gareth Southgate, maybe? No, no.
25:21We trusted our own experience. We trusted our own sports psychologists that we have with us. We
25:29trusted our observations throughout the camps and didn't speak with other coaches about it.
25:37But we have feedback, of course, from club coaches. And when we go into stadiums and
25:44a big amount of observation goes into behavior, not even into football details, but goes into behavior.
25:53How is someone warming up? How does he behave to a decision against him? How is he connecting?
25:59How does he react to what happens on the pitch if he's not selected? Yeah. And from there we go.
26:07Arsenal are obviously in the Champions League final. Villa have won the Europa League.
26:11Palace are in the Conference League final next week. Do you take the positives from that,
26:16that English players are winning things, getting to big finals? Yeah.
26:19Or does that increase concern about fatigue? Because a lot of people talk about the conditions
26:23and the fatigue of the group, which has been a problem for England.
26:26It just shows me that this league is the strongest league in the world, the most competitive league.
26:32That's just another proof for me. And it just shows on the negative effect of it that our players
26:39will be tired after a long season. That's just how it is. It does not make it easier to go
26:45then to three
26:46countries and a big change of climatic conditions and all that. But we are aware of it. We are very
26:54well prepared.
26:55We had the best support of Team GB. We had full support. Everyone at SGP, a lot of experts, a
27:02lot of
27:02people helped us with their knowledge and experience. That's why we go out quite early to adapt.
27:13And I think once the excitement kicks in, once the adrenaline kicks in, we will overcome.
27:19We will overcome and just accept the challenge. It will never be an excuse. But the level of performance of
27:27the English team just tells me that
27:31the concurrence and the competitiveness of the league is one of a kind.
27:37Is that tiredness your biggest challenge, do you think, overcoming that?
27:40Yeah. And it goes then back to getting the load right in pre-camp, getting the load individually right for
27:52the players,
27:53getting the headspace right, getting the attitude right.
27:58Don't go too early into the tunnel, getting our rotation right and the selection of the teams.
28:04Because, yeah, we want to stay a long, long time in the tournament and we will take advantage of the
28:12full squad.
28:13We'll finish back with Rob Dorsett.
28:14Thomas, I'm sorry to hire Dracca, a really important England media conference with news that's broken while you've been talking.
28:20What's the news?
28:21Manchester City have announced that Pep Guardiola will be leaving at the end of this season.
28:25We expected that to happen, but it's still a hugely significant event.
28:29I wondered if you wanted to say something about that and also the impact that he's had on the Premier
28:32League and English football as a whole.
28:34Well, the impact he had on every league where he trained and it's just one of a kind.
28:48He made a big revolution with the way he played at Barcelona and then he put everything upside down in
28:54the German league and then he comes here and crushes every record.
28:57So it's just outstanding.
28:59There are no words that can describe this determination and this level of input.
29:06It's just highest, highest level.
29:08And finally, this is a bit left field, but I wanted to ask you about the collaboration you had with
29:13the Beatles in announcing this squad,
29:15because it seems significant that you chose the song Come Together as well, after all you've been talking about.
29:20I didn't, I was not involved in that. I saw it now today for the first, for the first time.
29:24I loved it. Good idea. And thank you for that.
29:28Okay. Thanks for your time.
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