England's 'Band of Brothers' is ready for their World Cup opener as 'elder siblings' usher the Three Lions into a new era. Bukayo Saka, 25, described his Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke as a 'brother' despite their competition for the right wing spot, and team spirit is vital at this World Cup, says manager Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel's Brotherhood
England boss Thomas Tuchel is backing his Band of Brothers to carry the nation to World Cup glory. His team goes through final preparations in Kansas City today before making the short two-hour flight to Dallas to meet old foes Croatia. The players told how the German has instilled a team spirit, blending youth and experience to provide ammunition for captain and talisman Harry Kane.
Jordan Henderson, one of the most popular members of the group, told how they bonded over World Cup matches, games like Imposter and Traitor, NBA basketball, and 'looking out for each other'. But he warned in Luka Modrić, Croatia have the 'best midfielder' he had ever played against.
Brotherly Bonds
Bukayo Saka, 25, described his Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke as a 'brother' despite their competition for the right wing spot. Madueke has joined forces with the team masseur Joel Harris to 'curate' playlists for training sessions and for the team bus, including 2pac and Coolio.
Morgan Rogers, 23, is up against Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham for the No 10 role but describes him as his 'little big brother'. Dan Burn, 34, who spoke of the importance of brotherhood in the squad, is close to his old Toon teammate and fellow Geordie, the £120m-rated Elliot Anderson, 23.
Team Spirit Key
"The manager believes the best team will win the tournament and that means everyone fighting for each other," said a Three Lions source. "He looks at every detail and the team has really bought into it."
Burn described it as a 'brotherhood'. "He has made a lot of that from the first camp, about being together," he said. "I feel like a lot of the time the teams that end up winning tournaments like these are the teams who are close. Argentina at the last World Cup really fought for each other. That's what we want to do."
Declan Rice said that he was 'honoured' to be named vice-captain, but they had a team full of leaders and were like a 'family' off the pitch. Bellingham has taken it upon himself to help young stars like Nico O'Reilly, 21. Although he is only 22, Bellingham has now played at four tournaments. A travelling army of 10,000 fans will descend on the city from across the globe, including US ex-pats.
