Tuchel: No plans to adjust the formation, Bellingham and Rodgers need to compete for positions

Hupu November 12 News At 3:45 a.m. on November 14, the England team will face Serbia in the ninth round of the World Cup preliminaries. Before the game, England coach Thomas Tuchel attended the press conference.

There are four games left until you submit your World Cup squad, and these are the last two official games. Do you feel like you still need to continue experimenting with the lineup now?

No more testing? Do you feel like we've been experimenting a lot the past few games?

One thing, you did try something new.

No, this adjustment and adaptation never ends. We always try and adapt, but I don't think the past two training camps were "experiments", and neither will this training camp. These three training camps are a whole, and we take them very seriously.

This is a home game in the World Cup qualifiers, and we are here to win. We must continue to advance on the current basis and maintain the momentum of progress.

Marcus Rashford is in excellent form and is obviously very happy in Barcelona. But as his loan spell comes to an end and the World Cup approaches, his situation could become uncertain. Are you worried about his subsequent fluctuations in status?

Don't worry. Because these are pure speculations and remain entirely at the theoretical level. It's only November now, and he is currently in very good shape, and he deserves to be selected for the national team. He needs to prove himself every three days in Barcelona, ​​which is good for us; at the same time, he also needs to prove himself in the national team training.

This is the normal and correct way to get the best out of him, and the World Cup is still a long way away. I'm not thinking about the World Cup at all, nor about the end of the season. We will deal with the matter when it comes. He is now in good condition and very competitive. This is why he can stay in the team.

In the next two games, he needs to prove his worth with his performance.

This is Jude Bellingham’s first return to the team since he missed training last time. How does it feel to have him back?

Very good. He deserves to be back, and he deserves to be at this position as much as any other player. It’s great to have him back and the atmosphere in training over the past two days has been great. Everyone is very happy to participate in the training camp. The atmosphere is strong but the mentality is relaxed. The attitude and energy on the training pitch were where we expected them to be.

When you announced the roster, you mentioned that he will serve as the No. 10 when he returns this time. Morgan Rogers has played this position in the past two consecutive away games and performed well. Can both of them be in England's starting XI at the same time?

I don't know, maybe, but obviously not in the same position at the same time. Rather than forcing positions to fit the best players, put everyone in their best position and let them compete. At present, the two of them are in a competitive relationship.

But they are friends, so this can also be a friendly competition. You don’t have to be enemies, and you don’t have to be hostile to each other. They respect each other, are good friends, and are now competing for the same position.

Can they play together?

Yes, but the team's existing formation structure may need to be adjusted, and currently we have no plans to change the formation.

Looking ahead to the World Cup, how confident are you in determining the starting 11 and the tactical system you want to use?

I know the schedule for tomorrow’s game very well, but I’m not sure yet about the World Cup in May or June next year. I won’t assume too much too early, I won’t pretend to know everything, and I won’t focus too much on the World Cup.

A lot of variables may happen in the future. No one wants injuries, but injuries can happen at any time; players may quit, their status may decline, and other players may suddenly break out. So, I’m going to keep an open mind over the next few months.

This is why I have no pressure and no rush to think about the World Cup. I'm just excited and stressed about tomorrow's game because we want to perform well. Everything has to be done step by step, and the next step is tomorrow's game against Serbia.

You have clearly defined the roles of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. How is the progress so far?

Sorry, did you mean Phil Foden?

You defined a new role for him in this training camp. How is it progressing now?

Very good. Phil and Jude had not participated in training much before because they had just played a high-intensity club game on Sunday, which was their second tough game in a week. Yesterday was Tuesday, so they will return to the training ground today, which will also be their first full intensity training camp.

It's always great to have Phil on the team, he's a great guy. Like Jude, they are an important part of the team and everyone is happy to be together. The team atmosphere is great and full of energy. I'm looking forward to a good quality training session in the afternoon to prepare for tomorrow's game because I know it's going to be a tough game.

I want to hear your thoughts on Elliott Anderson's outstanding performance last week. Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports that Elliot Anderson is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Barring injuries, how likely is he to lock down a spot at the World Cup next summer? How important is he to your England midfield?

At present, he is the core player of our team. Yes, he is indeed one of the best midfielders in the Premier League now, which is why he was selected and started in the national team - his performance has been outstanding and must continue.

He is a very comprehensive and mobile central midfielder, which is also a trait he has always shown. But he still has a long career and a long way to go.

There are no guarantees, especially at this time in November, and I will not publicly predict or commit to his World Cup berth. It all comes down to competition, which is the norm in top-level football.

Furthermore, Elliott is now a top player. Seeing that he is working hard to be able to participate in the second game, we are willing to give him this opportunity, so we will evaluate his situation every day.

Now that you have qualified for the World Cup in advance, and you have also said that you will build a team for the World Cup, what specific expectations do you have for the team and the building of this team in the next two games?

Tomorrow’s game is a test of communication and flexibility for us. Because we cannot accurately predict our opponent's offensive structure and tactical system, nor do we know in what ways they will cause trouble for us, we can only rely on guessing and inference to prepare. Players know they need to be flexible and communicate better.

So what we focus on is: How quickly can we adapt? If there are some imperfections in tactics and formation, how much effort can we put in to make up for it through running, fighting and physical advantages? That's basically the core of tomorrow's test, but also continuing to build on what we've built.

After the game in Trieste, Harry made it clear that everyone must go all out in November to maintain this good momentum - this is our core goal. There is nothing more to say, this is what we are going to do.

We won that game 5-0, which was well deserved, but we cannot expect to win 5-0, 6-0 or even 7-0 because of this. The game is likely to be a stalemate. When the time comes, we must maintain our mentality, not be impatient, and continue to advance the game. So adjusting our mentality is our next goal.

Having been promoted does not mean we can relax, because we are fighting for our own standards and levels. That's the core of the next two games, and there's a lot that needs to be done. I believe we can meet expectations and perform well again.

When top stars like Bellin and Foden return to the team, what role do you hope they will play in the team and what will they bring to the England team?

I expect them to show their true level and integrate into the team immediately. Why do you think there will be problems with their integration? Without them, we are still improving our level and advancing team building; even without any other players, we will continue to move forward.

We have the responsibility to advance our own journey, raise our own standards, and build our own team.

Now that they are back, they certainly have a responsibility to contribute to all this, and they are doing that now. For them, it's normal, and it's easy to integrate now - because the team is strong and the standards are clear, they can fit in seamlessly.

This is the same for newcomers like Alex Scott: Be yourself, show your best self, and keep the good momentum going.

Let’s double check Mark Guey’s situation. Does he still need a cane now? Or is it that I can already carry out normal activities?

No, he doesn’t need crutches anymore, he’s doing fine now.

Regarding Elliott Anderson, you mentioned on Friday that he has some minor injuries. Have you had a conversation with him about being more careful with his minutes during this international break?

We talked about it, but he said there was nothing special to control, he felt fine, no pain, and was ready to play.