.png)
15 hours ago
3
Thomas Tuchel has admitted England are enduring a challenging adaptation in Mexico City but is convinced his team will be ready to “write our own chapters” when they face the World Cup co-hosts at Estadio Azteca.
The last-16 match against Mexico in their fabled home ground is the most eagerly anticipated of this summer and its logistics have presented unusual problems. England must adapt to playing 2,240 metres above sea level at a venue where Mexico have not lost since 2013. They landed on Friday evening and found it difficult to hit their stride on Saturday afternoon in their final training session before the tie.
“We feel it even if we don’t train,” Tuchel said. “I felt, for example, a slight headache in the hotel through the day and didn’t sleep as well as in the days before, but nothing you can’t handle. I think the players felt it in the first minutes of the training session and the longer it went, they coped with it better. It’s just what it is. We cannot physically adapt, it’s just impossible, but we are here one day before to experience it at least, to not have the first experience in tomorrow’s warm-up.”
Tuchel was nonetheless relaxed and upbeat, his confidence in England’s ability to handle a unique occasion shining through. England have history here, not least the defeat to Argentina in 1986 that etched the Hand of God into a nation’s psyche, but the incentive is huge to come out on the right side this time.
“Of course it’s painful and still hurts but we are not here for revenge, it doesn’t make sense,” Tuchel said. “We are here to write our own chapters, the team is ready, we are in good spirits.”
All of England’s players apart from Reece James trained at the spectacular Club Universidad Nacional complex, which is hewn into cliff faces in the city’s southern reaches and only accessible by tunnel. Tuchel floated the possibility of James, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, being available for the bench but the chances are remote. Jarell Quansah, who sat out of the win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo with an ankle problem, trained in full and is available to start at right-back.
Another ripple in England’s buildup was the bizarre uncertainty surrounding the Mexico game’s kick-off time. For a chunk of Friday afternoon it seemed likely to be moved forward six hours from its 6pm (1am BST) slot, ostensibly because of the heavy storms forecast for the hours around the game. Ultimately no decision was taken to make a change and Tuchel said the farce did not filter through to his team, who were flying to Mexico City for much of the to and fro.
after newsletter promotion
“It was a bit of confusion but only for me and the officials,” Tuchel said. England’s staff are understood to have been stunned at the prospect of a change. “I’m not sure if the team was even aware. We kept it away from the players completely but as soon as we landed it was resolved. It was a good moment to be in the air for three and a half hours.
Tuchel played down the hostile welcome England received at their hotel from Mexico supporters on Friday night, calling their hosts “very respectful, very emotional and very supportive of our team”. Added security measures have been put in place to ensure there is no repeat of the sleep disturbance Ecuador, Mexico’s last-32 opponents, were subjected to on Monday. “I don’t want to talk about problems that don’t exist, it doesn’t feel right,” he said.
The England head coach was also asked by a local journalist to confirm wild suggestions that they had used Viagra as a means of mastering the altitude, drawing laughter from Tuchel and Jordan Henderson, who addressed the media with him. “The information didn’t reach me, that is not true,” Tuchel said.
Mexico blew Ecuador away in the first half of their 2-0 win, and Tuchel said he expects another rapid start. “I guess they will try and give us a taste of intensity and heat,” he said.
“We will have answers to that, we need to have answers, and it’s a key element of our team that we are able to find answers to any questions. I’m full of trust that we’ll do it tomorrow. It’s just an iconic match on a big stage and we feel it.”
The Mexico manager Javier Aguirre admitted he may have to keep his players’ feet on the ground before an occasion for which the buildup has reached fever pitch across the country. Even his veteran centre-forward, Raúl Jiménez, has referred to it as “the game of our lives”.
“The group is aware of where we are,” Aguirre said. “The group knows, and every single one of my players has a smartphone and they’re on fire, so they’re pretty much aware of the euphoria and the optimism out there.
“My obligation is that whenever they get too self-confident or whenever they get too ecstatic, I try to ground them.”
More than 17,000 police officers will be deployed on Mexico City’s streets for matchday. Huge public gatherings are expected and there are major concerns for safety after four people died in celebrations following the Ecuador game.
