England manager Thomas Tuchel said a journalist's photo of the newly laid temporary grass pitch at Raymond James Stadium made him worried, but he insists the surface will not change his squad rotation plan for the World Cup warm‑up against New Zealand, despite several key players resting and young prospects stepping in.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted to feeling worried and concerned after viewing a journalist's photograph of the playing surface ahead of his side's World Cup warm-up against New Zealand.
However, the German tactician insisted that the newly relaid pitch at the Raymond James Stadium will not alter his pre-determined selection plans.disclosing that the playing surface at the Raymond James Stadium is a temporary 'plug and play' pitch laid just a week ago. The venue, which usually features an artificial surface, had to be relaid with grass for the upcoming match.
This prompted travelling Football Association ground staff to actively liaise with stadium organisers after photos revealed the turf to be slightly disjointed in parts. The England boss revealed that he remains alert to potential logistical issues but wants to inspect the stadium firsthand before altering his tactical schedule. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Tuchel said: "I saw a photo from a journalist which made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let's decide when we are there.
"If there are any issues, we can always react to it. The plan is to play 45 minutes with two complete teams, to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes.
Then we can continue for the next three days with the same load of training. That is the plan and at the moment we are sticking to it.
"The Three Lions are currently operating without key Arsenal stars Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka, who are resting after their recent Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson has integrated well after a European trophy win, while several Premier League young prospects have stepped up to bolster training numbers in the humid West Palm Beach camp. Despite the surface anxieties, Tuchel is working with a fully fit 27-man roster and has heard from official channels that the pitch should ultimately be acceptable for play..
The star-studded squad will then permanently relocate to their official tournament training base in Kansas City to finalise tactical preparations. A demanding Group L campaign awaits the squad, kicking off with an opening clash against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 before locking horns with Ghana and Panama in their remaining group fixtures.
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