Joe Hart says World Cup outcome is the true test for Thomas Tuchel
By David Charlesworth, Press Association
Joe Hart believes what England head coach Thomas Tuchel has done so far will pale into insignificance once the World Cup gets under way.
Tuchel succeeded Gareth Southgate at the beginning of last year and oversaw England’s qualification to the World Cup with minimum fuss as they won all eight games without conceding a single goal.
But Hart pointed out that will become irrelevant when England start their campaign, even if the former goalkeeper is enthusiastic about Tuchel’s managerial CV, which includes winning the Champions League with Chelsea.
“It’s one of those roles where whatever he’s done (up to now) doesn’t really matter,” Hart told the Press Association.
“He’s clear what he wants and how he wants people to behave in his squads. He’s an experienced coach, he looks like he’s enjoying his role and the players are buying into what he’s asking them to do.
“But will it be all right on the night? That’s how he will be judged. But of course he knows that – he’s an experienced man, he’s a winner and hopefully he can do it again.”
Tuchel caused a stir with his 26-strong squad last week, with no room for Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White.
While the identity of Tuchel’s XI to face Croatia in England’s opening Group L match on June 17 will be a closely-guarded secret, one position not up for debate is in goal, with Jordan Pickford their undisputed first-choice number one.
He inherited the mantle from Hart, capped 75 times by England between 2008 and 2017, who knows the unique situation Pickford is in.
“Jordan’s played in massive moments and stepped up in massive moments,” said Hart, who will be playing in Soccer Aid for UNICEF on Sunday at the London Stadium.
“One of the reasons why Jordan is such a good goalkeeper is he doesn’t get ahead of himself, he’s not thinking about the plaudits or the glory. As a goalkeeper, you can only think about the next couple of moments because that’s what defines you.
“There’s only one goalkeeper who can play for England and he’s nailed it down for a long time, under a lot of scrutiny. He’s doing an excellent job.”
