England set the tone for their World Cup challenge in their convincing 3-0 win over Costa Rica, according to boss Thomas Tuchel.
After a thunderstorm delayed kick-off by an hour in Orlando, the Euro 2024 runners-up heeded their manager’s request to take things up a notch ahead of next Wednesday’s Group L opener against Croatia.
Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and substitute Ollie Watkins scored in an impressive final performance before their World Cup adventure begins, with Costa Rica fortunate to escape with a 3-0 defeat.
Boss Tuchel loved what he saw from the group, who kicked on from Saturday’s 1-0 workout against New Zealand in Tampa as their Florida warm-weather training camp comes to a close. England’s camaraderie, quality and adaptability in the weather-affected warm-up friendly against Costa Rica has only increased Thomas Tuchel’s excitement for his first World Cup.
“Until now, it was more a feeling of a pre-season, like an overseas pre-season, and it was good like this,” the England head coach said on the eve of his first international tournament.
“It’s enough if the pressure and tournament pressure comes a bit later, because it will come. The tension will come naturally.
“We set the tone today in the meeting and the players were ready to follow, to have the next step in intensity and the way we play, to push ourselves and get a good feeling out of it, which we absolutely did.
“I felt today the energy in the stadium was amazing and I thought, ‘okay, if we can really play like this and grow into the tournament and have this kind of cohesion and brotherhood and team spirit that we showed today, then we will have an amazing connection with the fans’.
“This will hopefully be an amazing experience because it’s the first time for me and it’s a World Cup, and it’s coming.
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Declan Rice reacts to his first England match since lifting the Premier League with Arsenal and admits that it was hard to relax for too long on holiday with the World Cup around the corner
“Once the ball is rolling and games are already there, then I will feel it, and the latest in Kansas when we prepare then [for] the official match.
“The tension will grow but normally the stuff that I personally enjoy the most, then you feel that you’re alive.”
‘Weather delay good for us’
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Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett with an update on the weather in Orlando ahead of England’s final World Cup warm-up game with Costa Rica
England round off preparations with an in-house friendly back at their West Palm Beach pre-tournament home, before enjoying a day off and travelling to their World Cup base in Kansas City on Saturday.
Thursday’s behind-closed-doors encounter against Miami FC offers the chance for those that need it to build game time after a match that some feared may not go ahead given a storm swept across Orlando.
But the Inter&Co Stadium surface withstood that deluge, and an hour delay provided an important reminder that players will need to be flexible this summer.
“In hindsight, it was good for us to have a bit of a delay, so we could even adapt to that and see if it affects us,” Tuchel said. “The group was amazing.
A thunder and lightning storm hit Orlando ahead of England’s friendly with Costa Rica
“We were not distracted, we didn’t lose our focus, and we had an excellent and determined performance from start to finish.”
On the conditions, England midfielder Declan Rice added: “We got into our rooms at the hotel and it was bright sunshine. We woke up from a nap and it was like: ‘What is going on here?’
“The manager said that is what we are going to face at this tournament. They had it at the Club World Cup where it was stop-start. Even in a game, you could be playing 60 to 65 minutes and the next thing thunder and lightning can strike and you have to come off.
“You have to adapt to anything and the manager has made us fully aware of that. It was good to get a taste of what could potentially come and how we deal with it.”
Are England now ready to go and win the World Cup?
Ollie Watkins celebrates after scoring England’s third goal against Costa Rica
Rice called it a “top performance” against Costa Rica. It left Tuchel “very proud”.
So are England now primed and ready to go on and win the World Cup?
Reasons to believe
Thomas Tuchel – The England boss is one of the most respected coaches at the World Cup. He has shown a ruthlessness regarding star names which was alien to his predecessors, yet at the same time has forged a united group. England will hope his tactical nous and attention to detail will make the difference.
The ‘Brotherhood’ – There aren’t the cliques of the past in this England squad. Tuchel – like Gareth Southgate before him – has prioritised the bonds between his players. That could be key with talented players vying for the same starting roles in many attacking areas.
Harry Kane – Captain fantastic is going into this World Cup off the back of the best scoring season of his career. No injuries. No talk of him dropping too deep, please. Kane is a major Ballon d’Or contender in the form of his life.
Declan Rice scores England’s first against Costa Rica
Reasons to fear
The heat & fatigue – How often have we seen England’s stars wilt in the heat of a hot summer tournament? This one could be one of the most brutal in recent times. England have empowered sports scientists to come up with a solution and talked up their acclimatisation. But England fans will be sweating on the issue. After another intense Premier League campaign, do these players have the energy to deliver their best when it matters for their country?
If not Kane, then who? – Ollie Watkins will hope his poacher’s goal against Costa Rica allays some fears about an alternative to Kane. But, let’s face it, the fitness and form of the skipper through this World Cup is likely to be decisive.
Beating the big boys – England’s track record against the best sides will limit England’s expectations for many. France at the last World Cup. Spain at the Euros. When England ran into a big name, they regularly struggled under Southgate. Their draw at this World Cup could see them needing to beat Brazil, Argentina and Spain back-to-back-to-back to win it.
Read Peter Smith’s feature in full here!
Pick YOUR England XI to face Croatia!
The warm up games are over and it’s just under a week until England’s opener against Croatia on Wednesday June 17 (kick off 9pm).
Who impressed against New Zealand and Costa Rica? Has anyone played their way into Tuchel’s starting XI?
Have your say and pick your England XI to face Croatia…
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
