Thomas Tuchel has ordered his England players to stay grounded and “trusts” them to win the World Cup. The England boss has given his 26-man squad the day off on Friday, allowing them to do whatever they like in Florida with their partners, friends, and family.
Tuchel's Only Ground Rule
Tuchel’s only ground rule is that they cannot take a flight anywhere from their current hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, before they jet to their tournament training base in Kansas City on Saturday. This comes after famous pre-tournament nights out, such as the infamous “Dentist’s Chair” ahead of Euro 96, when the whole squad went on a booze bender in Asia.
Players Enjoy Time Off
Tuchel has allowed all players to have their loved ones with them at the training base in West Palm Beach. Now they will be treated to a full day off with their manager’s blessing. Players are planning trips to South Beach in Miami, theme parks with their children, or any location in Florida to unwind before the hard work begins.
Tuchel said: “They can almost do what they want. For example, they can't take a flight. They can almost do what they want but we said no flights because hopefully we have a lot of flights through the tournament. No-one has asked for a flight. They are adults, they are determined as well so the trust is not only a one way street. We expect them to live up to the trust, the responsibility we give them.”
Trust and Responsibility
He added: “Everything I have seen of them is a determined group who have a dream but know what it takes and I have full belief and trust that they will not gamble on that. The players are getting one and a half days off to relax and switch off, not only physically but mentally and then we start the next chapter. We go chapter to chapter, the next chapter is then the group stage and I'm happy that we switch location. Our location has been amazing but it's good to switch the brain.”
England travel to Kansas City on Friday ahead of their opening group match with Croatia next Wednesday. Their first training session in Kansas City is on Saturday.
