England is set to face Spain at home in their opening Nations League match. In the pre-match press conference, head coach Tuchel discussed five players withdrawing from the current training camp, Palmer's injury status, Arnold's competition for the right-back position, and how the team plans to counter Spain's possession and defense. This is the second part of the press conference.

You always trust the players who are selected for the team and perform well under you. So, for Palmer, is this another missed opportunity to impress you?

Of course. It's a missed opportunity, another missed opportunity. He's missed too many opportunities, but I'm not blaming him. It's just a fact. He's missed too many training camps due to injuries. I only want to make judgments based on what I see with my own eyes and observe firsthand within my team. For that, you have to attend the training camp. If you don't come, you lose the chance to further impress me, because you can only do that by actually being on the field with me and everyone else. So, yes, it's a missed opportunity.

You mentioned that September, October, and November last year were very important periods for you. Now the schedule has changed; this time you'll be together for three weeks, and then there are more matches in November. Do you approve of this new international fixture arrangement?

No, I don't approve. Coming right after a long major tournament and then immediately entering a long international break, I think this is a big challenge for players both emotionally and physically. I think players would prefer three shorter training camps.

I find it very hard to accept the current arrangement. I can hardly imagine club football having back-to-back matches like we do: Saturday, Tuesday, then Saturday, Tuesday again. This means only two days between matches. It sounds too intensive.

If a total of two and a half weeks are scheduled, why are there two such short intervals? We also have to fly and play in different countries. I must say, I find this somewhat inappropriate. But the schedule is set. We will make use of this time.

So far, our training sessions have been of high quality, and we hope to have another high-quality session. However, this is also my first training camp with the team after a major tournament. As I said, everyone's mood is inevitably complex. We haven't met since the World Cup, and now a new competition is starting, so this training camp is influenced by many different emotions and factors. But as the camp progresses, I feel everyone is becoming more focused. Tomorrow's match against the reigning world champions will also help everyone concentrate.

As you just mentioned, playing four matches in 11 days is even tighter than your World Cup schedule.

Yes, this arrangement is not appropriate, truly not appropriate. Players can hardly have a full pre-season preparation because we played until the last day of the World Cup. After that, they need time to recover from the major tournament, resulting in basically no pre-season preparation. After a week or ten days of rest, they are back in official matches. It's not impossible to play like this, of course, but a lack of sufficient physical preparation usually comes back to haunt you in November, December, and January. As you said, there are also situations in the international break where there are only two days between matches. I'm not sure I can accept such an arrangement.

So, how concerned are you about further injuries?

I watched the Netherlands vs. Germany match yesterday. I think by the 36th minute, three players had already gotten injured. As for the match itself, I don't see a problem with us playing on Saturday, or them playing yesterday.

I'm just thinking out loud: perhaps the different match loads, different environments, different pitches, and different training content slightly increase the risk of injury for players. The style of play might be different from what they do at their clubs, and some players might be playing in different positions.

However, we always monitor the players' data and always take care of them. Player health is 100% the top priority. On the other hand, the players we have currently are capable of playing four matches during this period.

After the international break, they will play like this at their clubs too. So, I don't think we need to manage their playing time for the sake of the club. We have our own priorities. The players want to win these matches, and we want to win; we want to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals. Therefore, we will take care of the players, make responsible decisions, and also have our own motivation and goals to achieve.

As you mentioned, this is the first training camp after the World Cup. Where will the team restart from? To what extent are you already thinking about Euro 2028?

You could say yes, and you could say no. We are starting a new competition, but everyone feels that we are not starting from scratch, nor do we need to tear everything down. We already have a foundation to build upon. We believe in our working process, and at the same time, we always hope to improve it, keep the team competitive, and move forward. That's what we are trying to do.

As for 2028, I think the Nations League provides a very good platform for our preparation. One observation I have about the World Cup is that it is very difficult, perhaps even impossible, to prepare for matches against teams from different continents, especially in the knockout stages. The pride, commitment, and physical intensity of those opponents are very special. You don't experience these in European World Cup qualifiers. You only truly feel it in real matches, in high-pressure moments.

Now we are in a very tough group, facing Croatia, Spain, and the Czech Republic home and away. This will allow us to experience the challenges we will face in the Euros. Of course, our goal is to complete another ten-match cycle, reach the quarter-finals, make it to the final four, and hopefully extend this journey further.

However, I want to make it clear: in our minds, this is not a preparatory competition. It can certainly serve a preparatory role, but we will treat it as an independent competition to win and go as far as possible.

Tomorrow's opponent, Spain, is both the reigning European and World Champion, arguably the best team in the world right now. What can you learn from playing such a match?

A lot. For example, how we attack and how we defend. As I just said, their defense is impressive. They are very committed, well-drilled, and have elevated their defense to a very high level. So, it's very difficult to beat them. But we have ambition, and we are eager to win. We just had a brilliant victory against France, and now this is the next opportunity.

Playing against Argentina, France, and Spain consecutively in a short period is a rare experience. I think tomorrow's tickets for Wembley are sold out, and they sold out quickly. Everyone is looking forward to it. The players are also very focused and determined. This is our current state.

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