Thomas Tuchel has warned England fans not to expect 'sexy football' in their World Cup last-32 clash with DR Congo, insisting the team must wear opponents down and avoid frustration. The England boss, who boasts a 74 per cent win record in knockout football, says he 'loves' the pressure of big games but acknowledges the challenge ahead.
Tuchel's Reality Check for England Fans
Speaking ahead of the match, Tuchel cautioned that the knockout tie will not be glamorous. 'Like the first rounds of FA Cups and the rounds of 32s in Carabao Cup, they're not sexy. They're not glamorous. You need to overcome them, and later it becomes glamorous,' he said. 'We have more of the same to come so need to get our expectations right. Don't get frustrated, keep on believing because we have 90 minutes, we have 120 minutes and we have a lot of chances to win this match and this is where the focus is.'
DR Congo: A Tough Test
Tuchel described DR Congo as a 'proud team, a defensive team, a committed team to defending, a quick team, happy to counter attack.' He compared them to Ghana and Panama, warning that England will face a 'copy' of those sides. 'You know that they have quality,' he added, urging his players not to 'freak out' if the game becomes tense.
Tuchel's Knockout Pedigree
The German manager has won the Champions League with Chelsea and enjoyed success at Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich. However, he insists there is no secret formula. 'I don't think we have any secret. We frame them, of course, but this is normally what we do. We give them a headline. What to focus on, what are the key messages,' he explained.
Managing Expectations
Tuchel acknowledged the high expectations from fans and media. 'Everyone of you expects us to win, every one of the fans expects us to win, so we're just matching at the moment our own expectations. There is not a lot of gain. There's not a lot of praise, and still you face a team that didn't allow chances,' he said. 'It can be tiring, it can be a bit nerve-wracking. It can be monotonous to break this block down. But that's where the energy goes to, and that's where the mindset has to be, that we don't freak out. We don't start to doubt, we keep believing and that's been our foundations for the past four weeks to be ready for the highest level.'
