England manager Thomas Tuchel has warned his team to show respect to their World Cup opponents, Croatia and Ghana, despite being one of the favorites to win the tournament.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed caution ahead of the World Cup, warning his team to show respect to their opponents, Croatia and Ghana.
The Three Lions are one of the favorites to win the tournament, but Tuchel knows that they cannot take their opponents lightly.
Croatia, who beat England in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, and Ghana are both proud and strong nations, Tuchel said. “Difficult opener with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud, strong nations,” he told the media.
Panama, England’s third group opponent, may be less familiar to Tuchel’s team, but he is determined to approach the group stage with respect. “Panama, I don’t know much about at the moment, but we will find out more about before the tournament starts,” he said.
Tuchel’s experience of group football in the Champions League has taught him the importance of focus and winning the group. “For me, I only experienced group football in Champions League formats, and the way to approach it was to give it the biggest respect and put all the focus into winning the group,” he said.
Despite the tough group, Tuchel is confident in his team’s abilities. “It always seems difficult, but we are confident, and we will be well prepared when we arrive,” he said.
The delayed start to England’s campaign could work in their favor, giving players involved in European club finals extra time to recover. However, Tuchel knows that a condensed schedule awaits if they progress. “We know now we will start late in the tournament, it gives us a bit of time if players are involved in European finals, hopefully,” he added.
England’s potential opponents in the later stages of the tournament include Brazil and Argentina, but Tuchel is not getting ahead of himself. “Should the top seeds win their groups, England could face Brazil in the quarter-finals before a potential semi-final against Argentina,” he said.
