Thomas Tuchel has promised that England will bring back their 'Wonderwall' celebration at Wembley on Saturday, as the Three Lions play their first game since the World Cup. The Oasis song became England's anthem during the summer tournament, with fans singing it after every win in the United States.
England face world champions Spain in their opening Nations League match, and Tuchel says he wants to revive those “beautiful” memories. He said: “Do I think it will happen tomorrow? I think it will happen if we win. It's a big opportunity, and it's a big occasion, it's a beautiful match, in a new competition.”
Tuchel calls for Wembley atmosphere
The match will be England's first since their World Cup semifinal heartbreak against Argentina. Tuchel previously criticised the Wembley crowd for not being loud enough during the match against Wales, but he now expects full support and believes it could set the tone for his reign ahead of Euro 2008.
Tuchel added: “I think the World Cup was outstanding in terms of atmosphere. I think we had an amazing performance against Wales, and I was not so happy with the atmosphere, so everyone killed me for that. The stadium is the stadium, the crowds is the crowd, it can be sometimes in international, not tournament football. It can be difficult.”
He stressed the importance of crowd noise: “If you are 3-0 up after 15 minutes and of the crowd gets going in to every challenge I tell you we have a chance to be 5 or 6 nil up. I tell you, it helps so much. But if after 35 minutes you feel like 2,000 Wales supporters are singing and everybody else is like ‘ok when is the next goal coming?’ it’s just so different. That’s why it’s so beautiful and so difficult to play away.”
Kane and rotation plans
Tuchel also hinted at his team selection, suggesting that no player will feature in every minute of the four games in ten days. He indicated that captain Harry Kane, who is four caps away from equalling Peter Shilton's record of 125, would want to start all matches even if he does not finish them.
Asked whether a player can play all the games, Tuchel said: “Maybe not all of them. Its not happening, I think. We will use our substitutes. Harry is desperate to start all four and there is a chance he will. This would actually be my mindset, to not make so many changes, to keep it going and to give the players we can rely on the trust and responsibility to take the next step and carry this team. Ideally.”
He added: “We have six or seven positions with regular starters but we must look at the reality. This is just my head. If you ask me after the game we may be having a completely different discussion and then we will travel to the Czech Republic and see. I would like to give players a regular start. That doesn’t mean they have to stay on the pitch for 90 minutes. It makes a big difference in our opinion if you play 70 or 90. From 70 on it makes a big difference. Up until 70mins its generally fine.”
