Thomas Tuchel has outlined measures to prevent a repeat of the Spygate scandal during the World Cup, as the Football Association bolsters security at England's training base in the United States. The England manager confirmed that extra screens and security personnel will be deployed around the training pitches in Kansas City to safeguard against espionage.
Spygate Fallout
The issue came to light after Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough prior to their semi-final. The EFL imposed the ultimate sanction on the South Coast club, prompting Tuchel to take proactive steps. England will face Croatia, Panama, and Ghana this summer, and the German boss is determined to protect their training methods.
Training Base Security
England will be based in Kansas City throughout the tournament. Tuchel acknowledged that the training pitch is exposed and plans to erect additional screens. He stated: "We will take care of that, of course. As good as possible and not in a crazy way. It is what it is. As you all know, Argentina had the first option to choose a very secluded high-end facility in Kansas."
He added: "So like always, you try to influence what you can influence. We are very happy with the training facility, especially what the FA and all the people in charge made now out of it. I think it suits all of our needs. But I agree it can be overlooked. I think we will have security there and we will build a bit of protection."
Importance of Privacy
Tuchel emphasised the critical nature of privacy during training sessions, particularly when fine-tuning set pieces and penalties. He said: "Because of course it's crucial if you train on a minus-one you do your team build-ups, you do your set pieces, you finalise with penalties … you don’t want the opponent to know. It just gives you a crucial advantage. So we're trying to be as private as possible."
Psychologist Role
Tuchel also revealed that team psychologist Rich Hampson has been instrumental in assessing players' commitment to the squad's "brotherhood." Hampson, who works with youth teams, observes communication and behaviour within the group. Tuchel explained: "They're just part of the process, they're listening to our language. They're just part of our, more or less, part of our meetings in a formal way. They're listening to our language. They're listening to how we talk about players, how we talk about the setup of teams, and then he is part of our staff."
He continued: "Rich is part of the youth teams and develops and observes communication, behaviours, behaviours within the group, behaviours within the matches and compares it to other national teams on the highest level and shows us opportunity where to improve."
Standby List and Phone Call Test
Tuchel disclosed that he has compiled a secret standby list of players who must pass a telephone call test. In the three days before naming his 26-man squad, he contacted around 50 players. The ultimate test is whether they answer the phone while on holiday and are willing to fly immediately, even from Australia. He said: "First of all we don't want anyone to be injured but are aware of the possibility that we can bring players. The players all know that."
He added: "The wording in the phone calls was slightly different from players who were very, very close to a phone call, and we said, 'Listen, you're very, very high up on the list but without promising'. I still think it can make a huge difference who of the central defenders, who of the midfielders needs to be replaced. So you cannot say at once, 'Then I pick you', and I didn't do this. The wording was kind of different."
Tuchel noted: "The ones who were close, and to be totally open the reaction also of the players towards the disappointment just also plays a factor. Because I learned a lot yesterday from all the phone calls. And it gave me just confirmation, who would pick the phone up happily when we call. Even in Australia on holiday. Who will be actually, 'When do I have to be where'?"
England will fly to Florida for a pre-tournament training camp on June 1, with Arsenal players joining later due to the Champions League final. Youngsters Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, and Josh King will also be part of the training group, with another to follow. Tuchel admitted he has several options in mind if any of the 26 drop out due to injury.
