Thomas Tuchel has welcomed the arrival of four Arsenal players to England's training camp, believing they will inject energy and quality into the squad as World Cup preparations intensify. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze were given extra rest following Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last month, but have now joined the group in Florida.
The Three Lions secured a lacklustre 1-0 victory over New Zealand in Tampa on Saturday evening, with Harry Kane scoring the only goal from a flicked header in first-half stoppage time. The returning Arsenal quartet were not involved in the match, having only touched down in the United States on Saturday.
Speaking after the game, Tuchel noted the improvement in the second half, saying: 'We had more hunger, more grit, more desire. We didn't score but the second half was better.' He criticised the first-half display, adding: 'We lacked discipline in the first half, came out of position and didn't stick to the plan. That slowed our game down.'
The German head coach used the friendly to give minutes to most of his available players, fielding a completely different lineup in each half. With no injuries reported, Tuchel expressed satisfaction: 'The most positive thing is that we can keep training with the whole group because no one is injured. We have no complaints.'
England are set to begin their World Cup group stage against Croatia in a week and a half, and Tuchel is confident the returning Arsenal stars will boost the squad's dynamism as they acclimatise to the humid conditions.
