On June 27th, England will face Panama in the final round of the FIFA World Cup group stage. On the eve of the match, England manager Thomas Tuchel attended a press conference. This article covers the first half of the press conference.
Regarding Reece James, what is the specific situation with his injury? How serious is it, and how long do you expect him to be sidelined? Also, could you please share your thoughts on why a specialist right-back like Trent Alexander-Arnold was not called up, especially with Tino Livramento also injured?
Reece has a minor hamstring issue and has not been able to train with the team for the past two days. He is currently on an accelerated recovery program, and we will monitor the situation game by game, but we firmly believe he will be able to play for us later in this tournament.
As for the squad selection, we brought in Trevoh Chalobah and Jarell Quansah at right-back. I have seen Quansah perform very well for Liverpool in a back-three system, which is similar to his role here, and we also have Jed Spence.
No one could have foreseen these injuries. Reece was in excellent form beforehand and felt great himself. So it is a little unfortunate, but since we also have players who can perform at a high level in that position, we are still in a good place. Of course, we would love to have a key player like Reece available, and we would love for him to be able to play, but he currently cannot, and we will find solutions. That is our job in this short timeframe. This is a tournament, and we will find solutions.
Hello, Thomas. Apart from Reece James, do you have a full squad available for tomorrow's match?
Yes.
Staying on the same topic, despite the absence of Reece James and Tino Livramento, are you satisfied with your defensive options?
Yes, I am very satisfied. This team was hand-picked by me, so we are happy with the players' characteristics and the strength they bring us. Elliot Anderson took part in full training today, and Declan Rice also took part in full training today. They both had some minor issues after the last game, but they have had enough time to recover. So, apart from Reece James, everyone is available and ready to fight, and we will make the final lineup decisions tonight.
Hi, Thomas. This will be a tough encounter. Of course, at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, England won 6-1, with Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick, but Panama are a completely different team now. They have suffered two defeats, but both were by only one goal. Yes, Reece James could have helped you break down such defensive teams, but what did you learn from the match against Ghana and that deadlock? What needs to be improved to break another potential deadlock tomorrow?
I appreciate the tone of your question, because that is exactly how it is. It will be a tough game against a team that is very difficult to break down and hardly gives opponents any chances. Against Ghana, they conceded a goal in the 95th minute from a counter-attack while they were trying to score a winning goal. And I remember that against Croatia, they allowed the opponent only two shots on target throughout the entire match, so this is essentially what we are facing.
We see a well-drilled, tactically astute team. Their coach has been there for five or six years, and there is a clear team identity just from watching them. In the world rankings, I think they are around the same level as Wales and Serbia. So, while they may not be among the most famous or glamorous names in football, they have performed strongly in this group. They embrace the underdog role very well and play without any pressure.
So that is what we expect—a complicated game. We expect them to play with a deep block at times. We have to try to break it down and accelerate the game at the right moments. But we have also seen their high press when our goalkeeper kicks off or during open play, as well as their possession phases. So yes, it is a complex situation. We are the favorites, and we have to perform better and improve on some details from the Ghana game, but this is another challenge, and we need another top performance to win.
Hi, Thomas. Good luck tomorrow. I just wanted to ask about the latest transfer developments between Elliot Anderson and Man City. I know we spoke to you before the tournament about completing deals during the training camp. I just wanted to get your thoughts—would you allow him to undergo a medical during his time with the England squad? What would that look like?
We have no distractions before the match, and no medicals are scheduled. The focus is on his physical recovery and getting him fit to train. Our focus is entirely on training and traveling with the team. There will be no distractions and no deviation from our main objective, which is, of course, tomorrow's game. We want to win the game and finish first in the group, and we need Elliot in the right mindset. The reality is that transfers continue to happen worldwide, even while we are playing, and major transfers do take time. We understand what is happening behind the scenes and will, of course, facilitate a transfer, but that will be after the game, not before.
Thomas, can we clarify something regarding the two injury situations? Are you saying Reece James could be fit for the Round of 16, and Elliot will be available tomorrow?
Both Elliot and Declan are now available to play.
And Reece James, as you just mentioned?
Yes, we are hopeful for the next match. It may be a little tight, but there is still hope.
Will he definitely not play tomorrow?
That is correct. He is not in tomorrow's squad; he did not travel with the team today.
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