News Focus
- Thomas Tuchel warns Bukayo Saka needs careful fitness management before the World Cup
- England manager says his team are not favourites but can still win the tournament
- John Stones may start against Costa Rica to gain match sharpness
- Players will feature for 60-70 minutes in final warm-up match on Wednesday
- Tuchel thanks FA for shielding team from political distractions
England manager Thomas Tuchel says his team must maintain big ambitions for the World Cup. However, he warned that Bukayo Saka requires careful management due to injury concerns.
The Arsenal winger suffered an Achilles problem in March. He returned to help the Gunners win the Premier League title, but Tuchel says the player still needs protection. “We must take care with Bukayo,” the German coach explained. “He carried the injury through the club season. We are building him up slowly.”
Saka trained with the full squad on Monday. Tuchel will check all players before picking his team to face Costa Rica on Wednesday. The match starts at 21:00 BST.
John Stones could also feature after limited playing time at Manchester City last season. “Everyone is fit,” Tuchel confirmed. “Some players will play 60 or 70 minutes tomorrow.”
Tuchel admits England face a difficult task to win their first World Cup since 1966. He says they are not the favourites despite reaching two recent European Championship finals.
“We are challengers, not favourites,” he stated. “It is like Wimbledon. If you have not won for 60 years, you are not the favourite. But you can still win.”
The 52-year-old believes his team need luck and strong focus. He wants them to take the tournament step by step. “We dare to dream,” he added. “But we need hard work and discipline.”
Tuchel also thanked the Football Association for keeping politics away from the team. FIFA recently confirmed that Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan cannot enter the USA for the tournament. There have also been visa problems with the Iran team.
“I am grateful to the FA,” Tuchel said. “They let me focus only on football. We cannot afford distractions.”
England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June.