Thomas Tuchel has declared he is not scared by any of England's World Cup rivals, sending a clear message of confidence to his players. The England boss insists he has seen nothing from other sides at the tournament to leave him worried, as his team prepares to face Panama in their final Group L match.
Tuchel's Confident Stance
Speaking ahead of the clash in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Tuchel said: "No, I'm not scared in general. I would just play football and we feel confident enough to be ready and compete on any level." He acknowledged seeing good teams and high-quality individual players but remained unfazed, adding: "I haven't seen that much football – but I'm not scared."
Tuchel highlighted that England have faced a tougher path than any of their rivals, referencing setbacks for other top nations. "Spain had a draw. Brazil had their draw. Portugal had their draw. It is time for us to believe and time to keep on going," he said.
Injury Concerns and Team Selection
Tuchel has a major injury worry over Reece James, while Declan Rice may not be risked after both players encountered issues following the goalless draw with Ghana. Despite the stalemate, Tuchel urged fans not to be concerned, insisting his squad has faced a more challenging route than their competitors.
Victory against Panama would seal top spot in Group L and pave the way for a favourable path through the knockout phase. Tuchel is expected to make changes to his lineup for the final group match, with an eye on the latter stages of the tournament.
Discipline Warning for Players
Tuchel has warned his players to keep their cool against Panama, especially after Jude Bellingham was targeted by the Ghana bench in the previous match. Midfielder Rice is already on a booking, and Tuchel does not want to lose any players to disciplinary issues.
"We spoke about it at half-time, to be emotional is part of the game, and we don't want to play cold like a fridge," Tuchel said. "We want to play emotional but not get distracted and not be dragged into discussions and all this stuff, because it will just help the opponent and the underdog."
He added: "You cannot play without emotion against such physical teams, because otherwise it feels a little bit like you're in the role of a victim. We want to stand up for each other, protect us and still find a good balance."
Bellingham's Temperament
Bellingham lost his cool during a row with the Ghana bench before half-time, but Tuchel insisted the midfielder can handle such situations. "Jude accepts that these moments come and he's happily engaging in it, because it brings out the edge in him that he needs sometimes to just have these little moments that bring out a bit of the extra in him," Tuchel explained.
"But, for me, I was quite close to what happened but not involved and everything was in a frame where it's totally acceptable."
