Thomas Tuchel feels no England burden but sees ‘absolute beauty’ of semi-final
By Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football Writer, Atlanta
Thomas Tuchel does not feel burdened by England’s 60-year wait for World Cup glory and instead sees beauty in the enormity of Wednesday’s semi-final against historic rivals Argentina.
The eyes of the footballing world will be on Atlanta as Lionel Messi and co attempt to stop the back-to-back European Championship runners-up reaching a third final in four major tournaments.
Security has been increased for what is sure to be a fiery clash between countries with a deep history on and off the field, but Tuchel is not bogged down by emotions heading into the semi-final against holders Argentina.
Asked if he has any sense how excited people are at home to be a match away from a first men’s World Cup final since triumphing in 1966, he said: “No, but I think that’s essentially what a World Cup is for.
“To excite the country, to excite fans and to transmit energy and make people forget their worries, make people’s lives better for 90, 120 minutes, and be just combined and be united and represented by a team.
“There’s so much to love about this England squad and our team that I’m very glad that that that people feel it.
“A burden? No, I don’t feel a burden. I mean, we feel the tension and I will be nervous, and of course that is that is normal.
“But I feel no burden. I feel what I really like is what I feel in the last days that the players are very, very competitive.
“They are very excited and like I said, they are hungry to play this match.
“I mean the two shirts are just iconic, the historic matches are iconic. There are iconic moments, but everyone recognises this shirt straight away, everyone recognises the players straightaway.
“So, it is the absolute beauty in the magnitude of a match, in the magnitude of an occasion.
“But, me personally, I don’t feel it as a burden. I will feel the nerves and the tension. That is that is quite normal, but that just comes normal with these matches.”
Tuchel was in a relaxed, upbeat mood ahead of the fourth World Cup semi-final in England’s history, repeatedly saying in the build-up that there is nowhere in the world he would rather be.
But he admits his first tournament as an international manager has been a “draining” experience riding this emotional “roller coaster”, meaning it has been important to ground himself and refresh.
“I try to do my morning sport and sometimes you just go on a bike,” he said. “You just need a big parking lot and an ice cream in your hand for 15 minutes and you feel like a 15 year-old, not 50.
“You enjoy your evening in a warm summer evening for 15 minutes and you reconnect to the beauty of that feeling we all have inside of us. That’s sometimes all it needs.”
