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Hotspur Way

England manager Thomas Tuchel previews their Nations League match at home to Croatia

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00:05No water? No water? Can I get up? Can I get a water? Water?
00:30If we can keep it to two questions per person, that would be much appreciated and we'll start here with
00:35Rob Dorsett from Scotland.
00:36We can skip it and you ask all the questions to Harry.
00:41We want to ask you about Harry. I'm not joking either.
00:49Clearly he is Ballon d'Or winner, he's England's all-time leading goalscorer and as of tomorrow he'll be the
00:56most capped England player of all time.
00:58From your humble opinion, is he the best England have ever had? Is he England's greatest player?
01:03I don't know. I don't know but he's up there, of course, and it's now proven.
01:08It's always nice if things are proven in sports.
01:11He has his collection of prizes, he has his records and he will build on these records, he will score
01:17more goals for us, he will get more games.
01:20Tomorrow he will start for us, of course, he will start as a captain and it is a big occasion
01:25to present the Ballon d'Or trophy, of course, to our fans and bring it to the country and embed
01:34it in the same day where he gets his all-time record for 126 matches.
01:41It's just a beautiful, beautiful occasion. On top of it, it's a match that matters, so it's not a friendly,
01:50it's a Nations League match and it's a match that matters a lot to us.
01:53So, it's a beautiful occasion and it's on Harry to digest it as quickly as possible. There will be a
02:01lot of praise, there will be a lot of emotions before the kickoff and then we need him in best
02:07shape to win the match for us.
02:10With that in mind, two games in four days is a stiff test and obviously it's the world champions away
02:15on Sunday.
02:16You've always made it clear to us that you look at the next game, but do you have to plan
02:20for the Spain game as well? Do you have to think about maybe some of your key players in this
02:24game against Croatia that you might want to limit the number of minutes they play?
02:27Well, look, if I was in the club and would play on a Wednesday, Saturday and I play Wednesday Champions
02:33League in Paris and you play on a Saturday in Arsenal or Liverpool or Chelsea, you're very likely to play
02:40your best player twice, play your best team twice.
02:42So, that's what we do. These players are used to playing twice a week, they're used to this rhythm, so
02:51I don't see any reason why we won't do it if we have the chance to manage them.
02:55If they need management, we can always manage within the game after 60-70 minutes and this is always an
03:01option because we want to also give players the chance who are knocking on the door and who have maybe
03:08tough decisions against them.
03:09But, in general, I don't see a problem to play two strong teams.
03:13Harry.
03:14Harry, sorry, Thomas.
03:17When you were thinking of taking the England job, how much did working with Harry Kane pull the appeal?
03:23Well, it was the players in general and Harry is the standout player and the captain and, of course, we
03:29worked together in Bayern, so it made the decision even more easy.
03:34But I was very excited to be close to the Premier League and be close to this group of players
03:40and have the chance to pick these players and get to know them because I'm in love with the attitude
03:47and the spirit and the energy of them.
03:49And this is what they prove now.
03:52That's why this job is very, very exciting and means a lot to me.
03:56Having Harry as a captain was, of course, an add-on, an additional bonus and a plus on the pro
04:03side.
04:04We had this talk then quite early at his home in Munich, talked about it, what we both want from
04:12the job.
04:12And, yeah, it was, of course, we knew each other.
04:15I knew I have a perfect captain.
04:17I have a leader by example and it was nice to have.
04:20It's very poignant that we're sat here today because a lot of us work with him as a very young
04:25man coming in to the senior team.
04:28Yeah, some full circle moments here.
04:31Yeah, they really are.
04:33For you, how is he continuing to develop?
04:36And when you're in the room waiting for the announcement of the Ballon d'Or, were your fears that not
04:41winning the World Cup may stop him winning it?
04:44And how much are you glad…
04:46It would have helped.
04:47It would have helped, made it even maybe more obvious that he should win it.
04:52But in the moment, I said it before to one of your colleagues, in the moment his name was said
04:56and he stood up and you see him as a proper man and as his personality, well-dressed and speaks
05:03so well-educated and speaks humble.
05:08And then you know the prizes and good hands.
05:10That was my overall feeling.
05:13Alex.
05:13Hi, Thomas.
05:14Just some team news, please.
05:16So, Esri Konza, not our train today.
05:18What's his issue and will he definitely be fit for Sunday and the same for Jed Spence?
05:22It's my understanding at the moment that they will be both available, but we will not take the risk for
05:28tomorrow.
05:28They're both out for tomorrow.
05:29You saw it.
05:30They were not in training.
05:31They follow their own program.
05:33And the understanding and the hope and the belief, I would say, is that they're both in individual training on
05:39Friday, team training on Saturday and match ready on Sunday.
05:44And then a new call up as well, James Hill.
05:46Yeah.
05:47How's he getting on and what have you liked about him?
05:49Well, when we took the decision with Esri together that he's out for this match and needs to follow his
05:55own program, that it is not possible to play him.
06:00We wanted a backup straight away and James has a fantastic season.
06:05Fantastic is on a fantastic run with Bournemouth.
06:08So, he's clearly in the window.
06:10He's anyway on our list of 55.
06:13So, we made sure that he's in the country.
06:18And once we had contact, it was just obvious how desperate and how excited he is to come to camp.
06:24And it was then a beautiful occasion to see him, get to know him, because international breaks are not that
06:32often.
06:32And then you see a player performing so well for Bournemouth over so long period now and constantly over-performing
06:39with his team.
06:41And it's a nice occasion and possibility to see that player on the highest level, because it's not so often
06:48that you have the chance.
06:53Good afternoon, Thomas. Daniel from Benchfuse. I just wanted to ask your thoughts on the state of English football, because
06:58you're selecting players who don't necessarily have the biggest pedigree in European football.
07:03And obviously, we have Harry Kane, a Ballon d'Or winner, but the likes of Alex Scott, Josh King and
07:09Hill have obviously caught your eye.
07:10So, I just want your opinion on the state of English football.
07:12Yeah, but they are already top players and they will become even better players.
07:19I am very sure about whom did you say? Josh King and Alex Scott.
07:23Yeah, I'm very, very sure about that.
07:25So, Alex was impressing on the highest level in last camp and giving the personality that he has there.
07:34I can only see a bright, bright future for him on the highest level.
07:38Josh King, Rio, now in camp as youngsters are so fluid, they're so electric, they're so positive in their game
07:47that it's nice to have them and they're full of quality.
07:50So, it's just nice to have because they're pushing from behind and they have the youth on their side and
07:57they're courageous and brave and amazing personalities, very humble, smiley, good people to have around.
08:06Job is now in camp who made his way through the pathway, being captain of the under-21s.
08:14So, we're in a good state because we want these youngsters to push and knock on the door and make
08:21a good impression.
08:22That's what they're doing.
08:23And I just wanted to ask about the mentality of Josh and James since you've come across them.
08:29What do you think of them as people and as players?
08:32They're very nice people to be around, very humble, very polite, very open facial expressions, very open-minded and very
08:42easy to connect with.
08:44Of course, that's nice, beautiful, they're open to engage straight away and be within the group, they're not shy.
08:52The group is an amazing group and this has to be said maybe in this occasion as well.
08:59So, it's easy at the moment to be in the group because the players who are for many, many years
09:05or like more established players make sure that if you come first time, second time to camp,
09:10that they make actually actively sure that you have a good experience, that you can express yourself, that you don't
09:18have to hide, that you don't have to be too shy.
09:22And so, if you see these young players shine and if you see them express themselves in the way they
09:28do, that is a big credit and a big compliment for the behavior and the attitude of the more senior
09:37group.
09:37And that's what it is. That's why we are always keen to select the best team, to select the best
09:43fit for the team, because that's what makes the difference in football.
09:48Hi, Thomas. Back to Harry, sorry.
09:51He's one of the rare number nine that feels very comfortable in pretty much every position on the pitch.
09:58We have seen him as a number six, number eight, number 10, even as a number nine sometimes.
10:02Yeah.
10:03Do you like that? Is this tactically manageable?
10:07Are you trusting his instincts on where to be, when to be?
10:11Both, both. It is manageable. It has to be manageable.
10:14It cannot be just like, do what you want, because then it's not predictable, not for the opponent, but also
10:20not for us.
10:21Why would we do that? So, it is manageable.
10:23It is a very unique style. I think he grew into this role by getting smarter and smarter on the
10:32pitch, accumulating more and more knowledge about the game, so he understands the spaces better and better.
10:39We saw matches lately where he took quick goal kicks, so that is maybe the cherry on top, but yeah,
10:47we see it every day in training. We saw it today in the training. He just drops in these spaces
10:52on the ten positions, eight positions, even like in a very deep position.
10:56And it is manageable. We even want to use him in there to create overloads. Modern football has become very,
11:03very fluid and flexible and sometimes crazy.
11:06So, to get away from defenders and to disrupt defensive structures with one or two players who have the freedom
11:18to find awkward positions for the opponents, deeper positions, crossing lines, is very, very helpful.
11:28And yeah, we're trying to manage it. But if you have a player like Harry, you try to find solutions,
11:32of course, for him. And at the moment, he has a strong relationship with Jude in the middle of the
11:37pitch.
11:37And they are like trying to overload phases of the pitch, where we then try to accelerate the game and
11:52try to find solutions.
11:53And they're very efficient and very efficient, very smart in their behavior.
11:58I'm afraid if you pass the mark over there.
12:01Spaces was the word I was looking for.
12:04Hi, Thomas.
12:06With Joe Bellingham earning his first senior call-up, obviously while he's playing in Germany and having managed there yourself,
12:14do you think that the strength, the financial strength in the Premier League
12:18and the ability in the Premier League to recruit these established international players is making it harder for young English
12:25talent to break through?
12:27Yes and no. It can be, but I think everyone has to find his own way.
12:32I think there are enough examples where you go through the pathway and you find your way and you're at
12:37the right moment in the right club with the right coach that things just fall your way.
12:41Don't forget, you need also a lot of luck, sometimes an injury from an established player, sometimes a coach that
12:50just trusts you or knows you from the pathway.
12:52There are so many different ways to make it to the top and such few players really make it.
12:58So Joe went a bit of a similar way like Jude and went abroad and got his next step of
13:06development in the Bundesliga in a very emotional, proper football club like Dortmund,
13:12where you're under pressure to perform and to perform for the club and for the city means a lot.
13:19They play with a lot of pride, so it's a good school, it's a good school of development and his
13:25way.
13:26So everyone needs to find his niche, everyone needs to find his way to make it.
13:32And Job deserves to be here because he had excellent spell over a long period of time with the under
13:39-21s as a captain.
13:41And with Dortmund, he played a strong season.
13:44You could see it, he had two good training sessions already.
13:47It's good to have him and good to see him.
13:50Great, and just lastly back to your captain.
13:53We often talk about obviously his goals and how much his ability to drop into midfield and dictate plays change
14:00the way you build teams around him.
14:01But just very simply, do you think there's another striker in world football that can quite offer you the same
14:07thing as Harry Kane?
14:08Maybe not at the moment, but everyone plays differently.
14:12I mean like on the very highest level, Messi developed a completely new style of number nine in Barcelona
14:20and basically dropped everywhere, but he was then more a dribbler and an accelerator from these spaces.
14:27Harry is then more a passer and an accelerator through his passing range.
14:33So everyone is different at the moment.
14:35I think Harry is quite unique in the way how he does it.
14:38And it's like, it's not the only thing that he drops.
14:43He is also in and around the box and you still want the ball to drop to him in the
14:48box.
14:48If it's a one-touch, two-touch finish, he is the one to be clinical and finish on the very
14:55highest level.
14:56So that's why he got the biggest individual award in this game because he's a unique player at the moment.
15:04Thomas, could you tell us a little bit more about Joe's development at Dortmund
15:07and also why that's been such a successful environment for the likes of Jude
15:11and even Jadon Sancho before they go in there and what do they do so well at Dortmund that helps
15:16develop these young players?
15:17Well, you just need to find your place.
15:21Again, very different coaches, but the club is emotional.
15:24And once you go there, you know it's about football and you have to, you play with pride and the
15:31atmosphere
15:31and the character that is shaped within the club is just good for the development of the attitude and the
15:44mentality of a player.
15:46It matters to the people, it matters to the region.
15:50It's more than just football and you have to live up to these standards.
15:55And yeah, it's a very successful way of Dortmund to develop young players
16:01and then compete on the highest level in the Champions League
16:05and compete as maybe an underdog on the highest level, but still on the highest level.
16:13This is what I can tell you, otherwise you need to ask Job how his experience is.
16:19This is the most important that the players in this kind of age get regularly exposed to minutes
16:25and to minutes when it matters.
16:28In a club where it matters, where you're like a bit in scrutiny
16:31and where you feel the emotion and the passion, that's a good school to come out of.
16:37And then it's always about the next step, always about the next game and so on.
16:42So development is never finished.
16:44And in terms of the next game, obviously you had that big win over Croatia.
16:47So how do you expect them to respond tomorrow night?
16:50And so what are the challenges for you and your players going into that game off such a huge win
16:54over them previously?
16:55First of all, it's a mental challenge, of course, to understand that we earned this result on this very evening.
17:03I think it was a deserved result, but it still was for me a kind of a freak result.
17:08It was a one off.
17:09It did not reflect the quality, the status of the Croatian national team.
17:18They showed a reaction straight away, which was very impressive.
17:22I think they could have won the match against Spain.
17:24They had big, big chances that they missed and conceded a late goal with a man down.
17:32So the reaction was already there.
17:35It's a proud country.
17:36It's a country full of quality football players.
17:39So I think they want to show that this was a one off.
17:43For us, it's important to forget the result, to not chase the same result.
17:49Because the result was a consequence of our behaviour.
17:53But not forget our behaviour, not forget what we did put in this match offensively and also defensively.
18:01First of all, we have to match the intensity and maybe be stronger in the intensity than our opponent.
18:08We have to show up with the right intentions, with the right attitude to be able to win this match.
18:17Like I said, this match matters to us 100%.
18:19We want to win this match to have a chance to win the group in Spain.
18:25And that's where our focus is.
18:28We expect a reaction from Croatia and we expect to overcome this mental challenge for us to start from scratch.
18:36Start with the same humbleness, start with the same love for the effort, with the same passion for the effort.
18:44And show up with a top team performance.
18:47Because this is what it needs to win in a Nations League match.
18:51Hi Thomas, Ivan Forja, Nova TV Croatia.
18:53As you said, this was probably a freak result.
18:55But how do you see Croatia's side right now?
18:58And Slavin Bilic won here back in 2007.
19:01Do you think he can pull it off again?
19:03Of course.
19:04Of course, everyone can pull it off anywhere.
19:07So that's the understanding and the respect that you bring to the game.
19:11Especially in football.
19:13Anything can happen.
19:14And a result like this should never give us 1% of arrogance or overconfidence.
19:22Why would it?
19:23I think this is a small line.
19:25Because we should also be courageous and self-confident enough to admit that it was a deserved result.
19:32But it was on the day.
19:34And big teams respond.
19:35And Croatia is a big nation and a big team.
19:38And they have shown it over the years in the biggest tournaments.
19:42And they have shown reactions.
19:43And this is what big teams do.
19:45So we expect a reaction.
19:46And we expect from us a reaction to that reaction.
19:49And that's what it is.
19:51So that's what we demand of ourselves.
19:55This is how we approach the game.
19:57Starts from scratch.
19:58Starts 0-0.
20:00And the target is to win.
20:03And it has a huge significance for me and for the team.
20:11So it means a lot to us to take this step again.
20:14How do you see the creation side right now?
20:16A lot of guys playing here in England.
20:18And if you could pick only one player from the creation team and put it inside your own dressing room,
20:23who would it be?
20:25Well, I'm biased.
20:26I'm biased.
20:27I worked with Mateo Kovacic and it was a pleasure to have him in my dressing room.
20:31And he will always be a special player for me.
20:35But there are a lot of top players.
20:37We have very strong central defenders playing in the Premier League.
20:44Unfortunately, for Croatia, Perisic is injured.
20:47You have experienced players like Luka Modric, Perisic, who is always a threat with his crosses in-swing and out
20:54-swing.
20:54They are just so precise and he pulls them out of nowhere.
20:59So it's a good mix and it's always a technical team.
21:05It's always an emotional team.
21:06I think that's what Croatia always represents.
21:11And that's what we will prepare on.
21:14Strong individual players, very proud to play for the country.
21:17And again, that's why I respect a reaction and I don't expect a result like in the first match.
21:26But we want the win desperately and this is what we go for.
21:32Thomas, Harry's talked about wanting to try out as an NFL kicker one day,
21:36which would probably mean he has to stop football earlier than he otherwise would do.
21:42I mean, would that be a shame, do you think, if he did stop football early to try something else?
21:47Because he looks like he could play at the highest level for so many years.
21:49What do you want me to say? You need to ask him. He will be here now in the next
21:53minute.
21:54So ask him if he means it.
21:56I think as long as he can play on the highest level, I think he will play on the highest
22:01level.
22:01I think he loves the game too much and he feels the influence that he has at the very moment.
22:06I mean, he'll be 36, almost 37 in the next World Cup. Do you think he's got that in him?
22:12It's on him. It's on him. You need a bit of luck to be free from injuries as well.
22:17And then it depends if he's still up on the level. Let's see. But that's up for him. That's a
22:24question for Harry.
22:25And just quickly, the big talking point away from England is the reports that Mauricio Pochettino might be going to
22:30Manchester United.
22:31I just wondered if you had a reaction to that.
22:33That's a question for Mauricio. He comes after Harry.
22:36I'll do. I'll ask him that.
22:39Yeah. Thanks, guys.
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