Thomas Tuchel has admitted he may be forced to rotate Harry Kane out of his England team as they face four matches in 11 days this international break.
The Three Lions opened their Nations League campaign with a hectic 3-2 defeat by Spain on Saturday night. The result puts extra pressure on their three remaining matches in this break, with two matches against Czechia and a third against Croatia still to come.
Kane started at Wembley and scored before the break, but struck a second-half penalty off the crossbar to prompt a swing in the match’s momentum.
Tuchel has thrown his support behind his captain despite that miss, though, saying Kane is “desperate to start all four” games in this run, but the intense period of matches brings an extra focus on players’ fitness.
“I would love not to rotate, to be honest,” Tuchel said. “I am not sure if it’s possible.
“My ideal scenario would be to go again and go again and go again, with six or seven players minimum from that start again that we trust.
“To put the responsibility on them and let them feel the trust. But I am not sure it’s possible. Let’s see.”
Tuchel says he does not take phone calls from Premier League managers over his players, saying it is “just impossible” to manage game-time as England have to rack up wins and stay focused.
“We need to be proactive and go for it,” he said of the trip to Prague. “There is no room for managing or an economic style.
“It’s how the team want to play, how we want to play so let’s go. It will be a different scenario and setting and a different challenge.”
Additional reporting: Press Association
