Thomas Tuchel said Friday that England will not use the scorching heat and massive distances between World Cup venues as excuses as they hunt for a deep tournament run in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The England coach made the point at a press conference in Florida, where his team is preparing for matches against New Zealand in Tampa Bay on Saturday and Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday. England have been training in the hot and humid conditions of West Palm Beach to acclimatise.
"We don't want it to be an excuse. It will be tough. It will be hopefully a long World Cup," Tuchel said. "It will be a lot of travelling, it will be a lot of adversity from the heat, from humidity."
England kick off their tournament on June 17 against Croatia in Dallas, where temperatures are expected to hit 35 degrees Celsius. If they progress, they could face a gruelling trip to Mexico City for a last-16 match at high altitude, with Miami a possible quarter-final destination. England have been preparing at a training camp in Kansas City, where temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and thunderstorms are forecast.
Tuchel said coping with these conditions is part of what it takes to win the tournament. He stressed that his team must stay calm, remain patient and adapt quickly. The manager also made clear he will not change his aggressive pressing tactics despite the heat.
"There's a value in recovering the ball high, even if it brings risk, even if it is highly intense," Tuchel said. "But I think there's also a high value in having the ball and moving the ball and not chasing the ball."
England are among the tournament favourites alongside France, Spain and defending champions Argentina. They are in Group L with Ghana, Panama and Croatia. The Three Lions reached the finals of the past two European Championships but lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Tuchel said he was pleased by the tournament-winning experience in his squad. Around a dozen players won a trophy this year, and he said this gives the team genuine confidence. "Players know that they can handle the pressure. Players know that they performed in finals," he said.
The manager revealed he has a "clear idea of 14-15 starters that can start for us and should start for us and can carry this team." At centre-back, Ezri Konsa is competing with Marc Guehi and John Stones for starting places.
Konsa, who spoke at the press conference before Tuchel, acknowledged the heat challenge. "Most of our players are not used to playing in this kind of heat," he said. "But we've got to get used to it very quickly." He added that England are entering the tournament full of confidence after 60 years without winning the World Cup.
England begin their campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.
