Thomas Tuchel says that his players must “love” playing for England rather than just like it, and that he specifically cut the size of squads in order to start fostering a sense of competition. The German has clearly been focusing on sharpening intensity and warding off complacency, as his side host Andorra at Villa Park in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
The last match between the countries ended in a tepid 1-0 win for England in Barcelona in June, where Tuchel admitted that the right energy did not translate from training. He said there had been “learnings” from those camps, and one of them is that the squad needed clearer tactical instructions in order to foster that edge. A further consequence has been to shorten the numbers called up, with this squad featuring just 25 players.
