Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged the apprehensions of club managers regarding their players being called up for international duties during a pivotal time in the season but says his focus is on England’s targets ahead of their second World Cup qualifier in four days.
Previously at the helm of prestigious clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain and Chelsea, the 51-year-old finds himself navigating the novel waters of international management.
As England’s head coach, Tuchel is set for Monday’s encounter with Latvia following a promising 2-0 victory over Albania. He’s currently contemplating the best approaches to manage player turnaround while also making the most of his time with the squad.
The German concedes that his past self, as a club manager, would have preferred to avoid having his players take part in consecutive internationals but now acknowledges the change in perspective.
“I know that this window, this camp, is where the clubs play a very crucial time of the season,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They play for championships, they play for quarter-finals in the Champions League.
“We are very well aware of it but we have also our own goals, we have our own targets. The players are keen to play and it has to be like this.
“I always accepted it as a club manager. I never got involved in line-ups, I never pushed any national coach because I was hoping that my players get picked, I was also hoping that they are proud to play.
“Of course, you’re never happy if something happens. No-one can predict that there is no accident, but we have a World Cup qualifier and we’ll take responsible decisions.”
Newcastle United are preparing for a crunch spell after their Carabao Cup exertions, with Eddie Howe at the helm driving their pursuit of a top-four slot in the Premier League. They saw three players called up by Tuchel – Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon – and have already returned Gordon to Tyneside injured after his hip issue in the dying embers of the game against Albania on Monday night.
Burn has also admitted he was suffering from tiredness in the second half of his debut. However, the big defender could again feature against Latvia this evening. Livramento, however, won’t be in action. Having been left on the bench on Friday, he has been axed from the 23-man squad for tonight.
Tuchel playfully suggests he’s been out of the loop this week regarding communications from fellow managers about England’s squad, whilst highlighting the self-preserving nature of club interests.
“After a 7-1 first leg and Declan Rice played the next match with Arsenal, I didn’t have the feeling that they think so much about us,” the England boss said, pointing to the recent Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven. “I don’t think we have to break our heads about this.
“I take care about the players. We take care about the schedule, but it would be the wrong signal to tell players now, ‘Hey, you have tough matches coming up, so I rest you now’.
“We have a qualifier to play, we do what’s good for us. We monitor them, we are in contact with the clubs, we are in high-level monitoring where the status is and we will not take any unprofessional risks.”
With the players’ best interests at heart, he stated, “Because first of all I feel responsible for the players. I don’t want the player to be injured, I want the player to play quarter-finals of the Champions League – all of them – because I want to watch it, I want to see it.
“So, this is where it is and in the end we take care about us and the clubs take care about themselves and the main focus is taking care o
