Tuchel Addresses Pitch Concerns Ahead of England Friendly
Thomas Tuchel, who assumed the role of England head coach in January 2025, has stated that reports regarding the condition of the pitch for England's upcoming friendly against New Zealand will not impact his player selection.
The Daily Mail reported that the playing surface at the Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a 'plug and play' pitch that was installed just a week prior to the match. Several World Cup venues are utilizing stadiums that typically feature artificial turf but have been temporarily relaid with natural grass for the tournament.
Ground staff from the Football Association have been coordinating with the venue to monitor the pitch, which appeared somewhat uneven in photographs. Despite these concerns, Tuchel confirmed that England have no injury issues and emphasized that the pitch's condition "will not affect my team selection." He added that he has "heard" the pitch "will be OK."
"I saw a photo from a journalist which made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let's decide when we are there," Tuchel said at a news conference on Friday.
"If there are any issues, we can always react to it. The plan is to play 45 minutes with two complete teams, to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes. Then we can continue for the next three days with the same load of training. That is the plan and at the moment we are sticking to it."
England are currently in Florida for a pre-World Cup training camp based in West Palm Beach and will face New Zealand on Saturday at 21:00 BST. This match will be the first of two warm-up games, with the second scheduled against Costa Rica on 10 June at 21:00 BST, ahead of the World Cup's official commencement on 11 June.
On Friday, England conducted a training session with 27 players. Notably absent were Arsenal players Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka, who were participating in the Champions League final on 30 May. To supplement the squad numbers, Premier League players Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Ethan Nwaneri, Alex Scott, and Jason Steele have been training with the team.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson also joined training after Crystal Palace's victory in the Conference League final.
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Tuchel Comments on Managing Harry Kane's Minutes
England captain Harry Kane has an impressive record of 78 goals in 112 appearances for the national team.
Tuchel praised Kane's current fitness, noting the striker's outstanding form. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich during their recent season. Tuchel expressed confidence that the 32-year-old's ability to lead England's attack will not be compromised by the intense heat expected in the United States.
"The most important thing is the shape Harry is in. He's in top shape, he is ready to go. He was the leading player who set the intensity in training today, on a defensive training day," Tuchel said.
"We don't have to be worried about him at all, even if it's hot and humid. He's shown the whole week he is ready, determined. He was so influential in Bayern's campaign, he scored three in the cup final."
Tuchel's other primary striking options include Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. The coach indicated that he will carefully consider how to manage Kane's playing time during the two friendly fixtures.
"Ideally, we can take some minutes off him [Kane]," Tuchel said.
"But if the matches are close, do we really do this? Do we take our main goalscorer, our captain off? Maybe not. Harry is a key player, there is no doubt. Of course, we take care of them but we also want them on the pitch. We have some good options, but Harry is the main guy up front."
Following their Florida camp, England will relocate to their tournament training base in Kansas City, Missouri. England's Group L campaign begins against Croatia on 17 June in Dallas, Texas. Subsequent matches include games against Ghana on 23 June in Massachusetts and Panama on 27 June at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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Tuchel appeared relaxed while addressing the media prior to England's first World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand. Despite his calm demeanor, he did not conceal his concern about the pitch condition in Tampa, admitting he was "worried" after viewing images of the turf.
Significantly, Tuchel revealed that players still have the chance to secure a place in the starting XI for England's opening World Cup match against Croatia. He suggested he has "14-15" players under consideration for the starting lineup but will use the warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica to finalize his first tournament team.
Tuchel plans to field two separate teams for each half of the friendly, providing players with an opportunity to compete for selection. This approach indicates that squad members outside the current first-choice group can still make an impression.
Additionally, there was encouraging news for Elliot Anderson. Tuchel confirmed that if a transfer deal can be completed with Nottingham Forest, players will be permitted to finalize moves during the camp, provided it does not significantly disrupt their preparations.
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