England manager Thomas Tuchel has said his side are not among the favourites for the World Cup, but believes the squad are in good shape and can still dream of lifting the trophy.
While most bookmakers have England as one of the leading contenders, Tuchel pointed to the 60 years that have passed since their only triumph in 1966 as reason for caution. He compared England’s position to that of a tennis player turning up at Wimbledon having never won the title before.
“We’re not the top favourites. We can’t be, because we haven’t won it for so, so many years,” he told reporters in Florida on Tuesday, ahead of England’s final warm-up match against Costa Rica. “There are proven winners in the tournament with more success in recent years. Those are the favourites, and we are competing for the trophy. You can win it, of course, and we want to win it, but we know what it takes, and that includes keeping a calm head and focusing on each step.”
It will be Tuchel’s first World Cup in charge of a national side, though he said his experience of Champions League campaigns in club football has taught him plenty about tournament football.
“Once you reach the quarter-finals, you can go all the way,” he said. “It’s important not to try to take in the whole tournament at once. Focus on the group stage, get through it, and don’t get distracted by overthinking. Once you’re in a quarter-final, the belief will be there, but there’s a lot of work to do before that. We’re exactly where we want to be.”
England begin their campaign on 17 June in Dallas against Croatia, a repeat of their 2018 World Cup semi-final.
Tuchel was keen to stress that his measured words were not a sign of any lack of belief within the camp.
“We all have belief. We all have a dream,” he said. “But it comes with responsibility, hard work, commitment, and discipline, and sometimes disappointment and setbacks too. We dare to dream, and that’s what matters.”
