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Combustible atmosphere
student Thomas Tuchel, England coachHe urged his players not to “lose their nerve” despite intense preparations ahead of their World Cup Round of 16 clash with Mexico.
England’s delegation arrived in the capital Mexico City on Friday amid uncertainty over the kick-off date at the Azteca Stadium, after FIFA considered moving the date forward by six hours due to fan safety concerns and expectations of severe thunderstorms before finally deciding not to change the date.
The England team had hoped to keep their whereabouts secret after Ecuador lodged a complaint with FIFA about harassment following fireworks outside the team’s hotel the night before their 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the previous round.
Normal noise
Tuchel said when asked about complex preparations“As is often the case, there is a lot of noise. When you’re in the bubble, the atmosphere is very calm and stable, and the focus is very present.”
“The bigger the meetings and events, the louder the noise and the quieter the preparation. I think the players were not aware of the possibility of changing the start date of the game, and this example perfectly shows the need to not lose your temper.”
He continued. “We cannot influence this matter. After flying for three and a half hours, you land in Mexico, and the game’s start time remains the same. It’s not worth losing our temper over. Height: This is the reality… Landlords. This is the reality. Things are not in our favor.”
The German coach continued. “We have to overcome obstacles, but we have the spirit, commitment, sheer will and the unity among our teammates to overcome these challenges. That’s why I’m positive. We know what lies ahead and the players will feel it and we will all feel it tomorrow when the energy is on the pitch.
Arms of Mexico
England trained at the Pumas UNAM training complex and Tuchel admitted they felt the effects of the altitude, but he believes his players will gradually adapt to the pace of Sunday’s match.
“You get something, we really feel it, even if we’re not training. For example, I had a slight headache all day in the hotel room. I didn’t sleep as well as the previous days, but it’s nothing you can’t deal with and adjust to.”
He continued. “I think in the first minutes of training, the players felt the heights and the more time passed, the better they were able to cope. This is the reality and we cannot physically adapt to the situation so quickly.”
He continued. “It’s physically impossible, but we are here a day before at least to feel this atmosphere, so that we don’t have the full experience for the first time during the warm-up tomorrow. Tomorrow we will warm up, especially with the ball moving in the air and with some breathing.
“I think it’s no coincidence that the Mexican national team usually starts their matches at home with a lot of attacking power, a lot of pressing and a very attacking style, because I think the first 15-20 minutes can be the most difficult for us. Once we get over that, and we tried a little bit today, I think we’ll be in a good position.”
Sleep plan
Authorities have tightened security around the England team’s hotel and Tuchel was asked if he feared the team would be sleep-deprived before the game if Mexican fans tried to disturb and disturb them.
“We had no problems last night. I think FIFA has handled the situation well and we have beefed up hotel security so we expect a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s match starts at six in the evening, so if we miss a few hours of sleep, we’ll have plenty of time to make up for it in the late morning.”
He continued. “I don’t want to talk about problems that don’t exist yet, because it doesn’t seem right. What I’ve experienced so far has been characterized by a lot of respect and strong emotions, but also a lot of support for our team.”
“So we treat everyone with great respect. We respect the opponent and we respect the importance of the match and we expect to be treated with respect, which is what actually happened, so talking about potential problems now makes no sense to me. If we face any problems, we will accept them.”
He concluded. “This is the whole approach to the whole tournament. It’s a tough and stressful tournament in itself and the best way to deal with it is to relax, stay calm and just focus on us.”
