On 30 September at 02:45 CEST, England will visit the Czech Republic in the second match of the UEFA Nations League group stage. Ahead of the fixture, England manager Thomas Tuchel held a press conference. Below is an excerpt from that conference.

Read More

【Thomas Tuchel: Consa and O'Riley Missed Training? It's Just Minor Physical Issues】

【Thomas Tuchel: The Current Schedule Format Not Only Fails to Reduce Risk, It Actually Increases It】

I have a quick question about the three upcoming fixtures. You mentioned you don't want to rotate the squad too much in these upcoming matches, but other coaches might take a different approach. They might view these games as an opportunity to bring in new players to build experience and understanding within the squad and the group. Can you explain why you see it differently?

Yes, I think we have around six or seven key positions for us in World Cup qualification and the World Cup itself. I want to maintain this continuity to build understanding among the players, develop the team's tactical strength, and foster strong confidence and trust among these core players.

I believe that if you make too many changes and adjustments within the squad, sometimes it can be unfair to the players because they have to adapt to new teammates, new playing styles, and new demands from a new coach. So I think if you only make small changes—just two or three positions at a time—it's usually a better and more effective approach for players to find their form and display their abilities.

However, as I just mentioned, we will remain very cautious and attentive to players' physical condition. At the same time, tomorrow's match is of the utmost importance to us. We won't plan too far ahead; we'll take it step by step. For the players available to us tomorrow, as always, we'll do a final check tonight and even confirm the final lineup tomorrow morning. If the medical staff, physiotherapists, and the players themselves all send positive signals, we'll be ready to commit fully. Hopefully there won't be too many changes, but we'll see.

Good evening, Thomas. I think during World Cup qualification, England's defensive form was nearly flawless and excellent. However, due to stronger opposition, the team has conceded more goals. How do you assess this? Are you trying to fix this problem? What specific adjustments are you making? Is this a cause for concern, or is it simply a byproduct of the team's evolving playing style?

I haven't been concerned at all, not yet anyway. But in the last two games, what were the scores? We lost 4-6 to France and 2-3 to Spain. That means we conceded seven goals across two matches, which is genuinely rare.

I've been asked similar questions before, and I completely understand your concerns. But right now, it's not a cause for concern. I feel that in terms of our defensive organization, defensive structure, and pressing defense—trying not to drop too deep in a low block but instead push up to the midfield block or even high press—our performance in these areas is at a very good level, better than many other matches at this level.

So from the perspective of defensive organization and in particular—if you want to examine the defense separately—based on our performance within the overall structure and in each tactical phase, I'm quite satisfied, and I think this is an important step forward.

The damage we suffered came from individual errors when we were in possession, particularly during our build-up from the back. These are certainly mistakes we cannot repeat, especially at this elite level. We need to pay close attention to this. Under pressure, we need absolute technical precision, and we must improve these details.

But strangely enough, when we have the ball around the opposition penalty area, we become our own biggest threat because we make too many individual errors. So purely from a defensive standpoint, I have no concerns, and I believe we can perform well.Of course, some players aren't yet available, and their return will help with our defensive organization and the defensive block's stability. But as I've already said, I don't think we have any reason to be concerned at this moment.

One final question. I was delighted to see James Trafford feature in the match last weekend. What did you take from that experience? Do you have specific expectations for his performance in tomorrow's match?

For me and the goalkeeper coach, what's most important is that he continues to play as a goalkeeper, to accumulate and gain experience playing alongside teammates he hasn't played with much or at all before, to build understanding and experience with them as a defensive unit overall. That's why we gave him two consecutive appearances.

Yes, he still has much to improve and develop, and this is a new level of competition for him. Representing England at Wembley against the world champions brings new pressure that he needs to face and adapt to, and we'll observe his response.He has shown many excellent moments, making several important saves for us. In terms of building from the back, there are areas where he can continue to develop. But for him, combined with feedback from other goalkeepers, the defense, and the defensive midfielders, all of this is a completely natural growth process.

Overall, his performance is acceptable, and of course there's always room for improvement. But I'm genuinely pleased he's gaining this valuable experience. We simply want to see who else can deliver high-quality performances for us. Who's ready for the challenge, and who's ready to challenge Jordan Pickford—Pickford has performed excellently for us for many years.Now Trafford has had an opportunity through these two matches, and hopefully he can prove his worth once again in tomorrow's fixture.

แปลโดย AI

เว็บไซต์ AF เปิดตัวแล้ว! ดูข่าว ความคิดเห็น รายละเอียดแมตช์ และสถิติครบถ้วนบนคอมพิวเตอร์ของคุณ เยี่ยมชม: www.allfootballapp.com