Thomas Tuchel: England coach discusses Harry Kane’s fitness, player transfers and Tampa Bay pitching issues ahead of New Zealand friendly | soccer news

Thomas Tuchel held his first World Cup press conference since coming into contact with the England team in the United States, and there was a lot to cover.

The Three Lions are less than two weeks away from their World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17. Get answers to a few more questions ahead of the first warm-up game on Saturday.

England face New Zealand in Tampa Bay in the first match of what they hope will be a memorable and record-breaking summer.

Tuchel held his first press conference in the United States…

• Permission granted for England players to secure club transfers during the tournament.
• There were some concerns about the pitch ahead of Saturday’s friendly against New Zealand.
• We supported Harry Kane’s fitness by allowing him to play a lot of minutes during the tournament.
• It has been argued that Ivan Toney’s training sessions so far have justified his surprising selection.
• He said there was a group of 14 or 15 players playing in their first World Cup match.
• IFAB expresses concern about changing too many rules this World Cup

See below for more on what the England manager had to say…

‘Players can secure transfers during the World Cup – ideally before Croatia.’

Tuchel has a number of England players who are the subject of intense transfer speculation to take part in this tournament, which could be a distraction.

Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Marcus Rashford are among a number of Three Lions players seeking a move, while John Stones is currently without a club.

However, the England coach will not impede his players’ movements during this World Cup as long as they follow his rules.

“This is about common sense,” he said. “It’s our policy that we don’t like to do (transfer work) the day before the game or on the day of the game. Maybe even two days before, but we’ll see.”

“But everything else – provided it is done personally, efficiently and quietly – we are always happy to help. It helps to be clear about every player. If there is an opportunity for someone to complete a club change we will not stand in their way.

“But this has to be in line with our schedule and goals to focus and prepare for the game. No player has approached me yet, but the doctors are ready to take all medical measures!”

Asked if he wanted to end all transfer business before the first World Cup match on June 17, Tuchel said: “It would be ideal, but that’s not the reality.”

“The question is, how worried are you going to be? If you tell your players not to deal with it now, the phones are going to keep blowing up. How do you want to control that?

“I’m always there to help, I’m always there to defuse the situation. We need to help them have their own environment where they can deal with distractions, focus, and do their best to fulfill the role we’ve created for them.

“When a club wants to sign you and the sporting director, agent or coach is trying to call you, you know you get distracted, that’s real.

“We always encourage players to make their decisions as early as possible before the tournament starts, but that is not always possible. We are not alone in this matter, and it will depend on how this plays out.”

‘I’m a little worried about Tampa Bay’s pitching.’

There are also concerns about the pitch that awaits England ahead of their World Cup warm-up against New Zealand on Saturday.

Images of Tampa Bay Stadium awaiting players have appeared online. Tuchel has never seen the stadium in person but expressed some concerns when a reporter showed him photos of the stadium.

The England manager said he may change his plans if playing conditions are not favorable.

“I’ve just seen it. It won’t affect my team selection,” Tuchel said. “From what I’ve heard so far, it’s going to be okay.

“I saw a photo of a reporter that makes me a little worried. But let’s decide while we’re there. If there’s a problem, we can always respond.”

“The plan is to play 45 minutes with two full teams, giving everyone equal exposure. Then we can continue with the same training load over the next three days. That’s the plan and we’re sticking to it for now.”

‘Don’t worry about Kane’s stamina this summer’

England’s World Cup chances depend on captain Harry Kane’s performance up front. But there have been historical concerns about his health.

During the Euro 2024 campaign, Kane looked tired at the top of the pitch and was often replaced by either Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toni before the end of regular time.

This time Tuchel has put an end to all concerns.

“Harry is a key player, no doubt,” he said. “We look after him but we want him on the pitch.

“Ideally we could get a few minutes of rest from him, but as the game approaches, do we really need to do this? Are we going to take out our main scorer, our captain? Maybe not.

“The most important thing is Harry’s condition. He is in top form and ready to play. He was the lead player who set the intensity of today’s training, which was a defensive training day. With Bayern Munich, he is used to high pressure and intensity in the opposition half.

“Even if it’s hot and humid, you don’t have to worry about him at all. He’s ready and determined all week and has had a huge impact on Bayern’s campaign, scoring three goals in the cup final.”

“We have some good options, but Harry is the one at the forefront.”

‘Tony justified selection for the World Cup’

Tuchel also gave insight into how the other two strikers will operate during the tournament.

In his opinion, Watkins is a back-up starting option to Kane and would be used if the England captain is unavailable.

Meanwhile, Toney could be an option if England want to play another striker alongside Kane. Tuchel, who surprisingly called up the Saudi Arabia-based striker, insisted Toney’s training performances justified his selection.

“The other number nines are very different players,” Tuchel said. “Oli Watkins is a better person to start in Harry’s place and keep the intensity and pressure going.

“Ivan is a kind of finisher for us. There may be a special task in Harry to draw the attention of defenders, or we may play with a second striker. He is very good in the box, good at set-pieces, takes penalties well and trains at a high level.

“I am very happy with him. He has shown that it was right to take him. He has a great attitude and good training sessions all week.

“We have received a lot of positive feedback about his role in past tournaments and club football. He is someone who connects easily with everyone in the group and is respected by everyone.

“We had one or two candid conversations about whether he could handle the role and whether he would be happy to take on the role we could offer him. He was very reliable and said he would be delighted to join immediately.

“He has a big personality and is one of the best penalty takers in the world. He showed great composure in training matches with his finishing, one touch and two touches.

“He brings something to the group that we can use, if the game is playing Harry near the opponent’s box and being very aggressive, we have someone we can use.

“He bought into all of that. The feedback from his coaches, his former coaches, staff members and teammates was always absolutely positive, so his place in the group was never in doubt. He proved it.”

‘14-15 players will play in the World Cup starting from the XI’

Tuchel told his players not to think about their World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17. But the England manager spoke about how close he is to knowing the starting XI for the game.

He insists fringe players can still advance, but there are three or four players left until the first big decision of the tournament.

“It’s still being processed,” he said. “I don’t want to narrow it down and I’m worried about some injury or someone holding something I’m not confident about and I’m really scared!

“We will always make the final decision, but we have a clear idea of ​​the 14 or 15 starters who should start for us and lead this team.

“We will always have a pool of players to choose from and we will choose from what we see in energy, body shape, form and players who are better suited to the opposition.

“I’ve already been taking a closer look at Croatia over the past few weeks, but last week was all about us and our actions. I’ll look into this topic in more detail when I get to Kansas and prepare from there.”

‘I’m a bit worried about the IFAB rule change.’

Lastly, Tuchel also expressed concern about rule changes made ahead of this World Cup.

IFAB, the referee’s governing body, has announced changes to World Cup rules, including expanding VAR’s powers, 10-second substitutions and cracking down on tactical timeouts and time-wasting rules.

Tuchel admitted in a recent meeting with IFAB that he did not fully understand all of the new rulings.

“The rules have changed a lot,” he said. “I have another meeting (with IFAB) next week. I already had one and I’m not sure I understood everything. It was quite a lot.

“I was a little worried because there were a lot of subjective decisions the referee had to make. I was scared because there were so many additional decisions the referees had to make on the pitch. I don’t know if all of that would give us more clarity.”

“I understand the urge to be more clear, but I’m not sure whether a change like this right before the tournament will encourage that. We’ll see.”

One of the rule changes is fighting in the penalty box in the corner. There is a new rule that says defending the penalty area before the ball enters the field of play can result in a penalty.

“Of course we will follow the rules,” Tuchel said. “We know that corners and set-pieces in the Premier League are more physical than in other countries, but I think that’s normal. In the Europa League and the Champions League, the referees are a little different, and then you adapt.

“Blocking the ball before it’s in play, let’s see. That’s our strength. We’ll do our best. It’s just a method. Every team will try.”

“Hopefully we can find a consistent method of officiating. That’s what everyone is looking for, just consistency. Putting new rules in place is hard enough for everyone and hopefully it will make things clearer. But that’s not always the case when everything is rushed. We’ll work through that.”