Thomas Tuchel has said he will refuse to take calls from Premier League managers and insists it would be “madness” to expect him to rest players during England’s Nations League campaign, which features four games in 11 days.
Tuchel’s blunt response to club bosses
The England manager is ready to put himself on a collision course with club bosses over the schedule. England’s top players returned from the World Cup exhausted, had short summer holidays and are straight back into a gruelling fixture list with their clubs.
But Tuchel is determined to pick his strongest XI throughout the international window, even if Premier League clubs are anxious about players getting injured.
Fixture list and squad changes
England go straight from playing Spain at Wembley on Saturday to facing Czech Republic on Tuesday, Croatia next Saturday and then Czech Republic again at Wembley on Tuesday October 6.
Tuchel said: “I don’t take calls from Premier League managers. I never called any national team coach. It is what it is. I cannot manage the players. It’s just impossible. I knew as a club coach – when I was on the other side – that I had this example many times. If I would call a coach in Brazil or Argentina, they would not know what I am talking about. The players would not know what I am talking about. So why would I do this and start giving the players the impression that it’s okay to take a step back or share a half or to rest one match? Why would I? I would never. It’s madness. We want to win the next match.”
England had mass withdrawals before the squad met up, with Declan Rice – who came to Wembley to support his teammates – Cole Palmer, Tino Livramento, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo all pulling out. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner were called up.
Tuchel’s approach to the upcoming games
Tuchel does expect to make some changes through the run of fixtures, but he will keep the core of the team which narrowly lost to Spain together. He says that is his “ideal scenario” and has suggested players may have to be subbed off early before getting into the dangerous territory when they are tired and fatigued at the end of games.
Tuchel plans to play high intensity football against the Czech Republic, with no let up in his demands. He added: “Hopefully we can find that kind of shape and form but if you mean like ‘do we go for it and try to impose what we did today’ then yes that’s 100 per cent. We need to be proactive and go for it. There is no room for managing or an economic style. It’s how the team want to play, how we want to play so let’s go. It will be a different scenario and setting and a different challenge.”
