Tuchel tells – England manager Thomas Tuchel has urged his squad to use the pain of past knockout exits as fuel rather than a burden as they prepare to face DR Congo in the World Cup knockouts at Atlanta Stadium. He also confirmed key selection pressures, including the absen
Thomas Tuchel wants England to walk into the knockouts with their history burned into them—then turned into energy.
The warning comes with time and pain attached. Ten years ago this week. several members of the current squad were involved when England were beaten by Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. Since then. Tuchel points to the losses that still hang over international careers: defeats in two Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final.
But Tuchel rejects the idea that those memories should slow his players down. He frames the scars as something athletes carry—and learn from. “There is no way you get through this without scars,” he said. “You will not find great athletes who didn’t suffer big defeats. You just don’t find them. I’ve just finished a documentary on Rafa Nadal. and even I thought he just wins every match out there every year. But you see, wow, a year of injuries, a heavy loss, another big defeat, sleepless nights, self-doubts and questioning. Everyone around him doubting him.”.
He then brings it back to his own emotions. drawing a line from the emotional noise to the moment the work starts again. “We all had our big defeats where you doubt yourself. Ask me how I felt after our 1-0 win against New Zealand (in the warm-up games). I still remember thinking, ‘Am I good enough?. Did I get this right?. OK, let’s keep on’.”.
Tuchel’s rallying cry is simple: the route to a major trophy is never smooth. “If you want to win a big prize, there is not an easy route to get there. Yes, we have some scars – but it helps you, actually. It helps you to remember the moment, how painful, but it is always possible to redirect your energy.”.
That message lands differently because the next match is DR Congo in the World Cup knockouts at the Atlanta Stadium, with England arriving as strong favourites—and carrying pressure that won’t disappear just because the team is trying to stay calm.
“I know everyone expects us now to beat DR Congo,” Tuchel said. “We are the first ones to expect it from ourselves. It doesn’t just mean that it will happen. We still have to do an awful lot to do it. But we still expect it from us, so that (pressure) is fair enough.”
Tuchel also insists he likes what knockout football demands. He describes it as the type of test that creates edge—something that feels familiar to the rhythm of English cup nights. “I just love it (knockout football). It gives an extra edge. It’s what makes the FA Cup and Carabao Cup special. But the first rounds of those cups, they’re not sexy. You need to overcome them and later it becomes glamorous.”.
In this tournament. he argues. the job starts with getting through the group and then finding a win when everything tightens. “Here, you need to get out of the group, and then you need to find the win. You need to wear opponents down. You know that they have quality and we will face that again now in the first knockout. We will face a copy of Ghana. a copy of Panama. a proud team. a defensive team. a committed team. a quick team who are happy to counter attack. We need to get our expectations right so that we are not frustrated, that we keep on believing. We have 90 minutes. we have 120 minutes. we have a lot of chances to win this match. and this is where the focus is.”.
On the field, the selection decisions are already shaping the week. England will be without right back Reece James due to a hamstring injury. Jarrell Quansah started at right back against Panama at the weekend. but he missed training yesterday after turning his ankle in that game. That leaves Tuchel pondering whether to use Ezri Konsa or Djed Spence at right back. If Konsa is chosen, John Stones will return at centre back.
Midfield is another area where rotation has to be managed. Declan Rice is set to start after being rested in New Jersey, which would likely mean Morgan Rogers reverting to the bench.
The final big call concerns the forward line and fitness. Tuchel is weighing whether to use Noni Madueke from the start in place of Bukayo Saka. Saka looked below his best against Panama and is managing an Achilles issue.
The scar-tissue theme is meant to help England handle both the pressure of expectation and the reality of knockout variance. For Tuchel, the point is not to erase the memory of painful exits—it’s to turn the knowledge they bring into a sharper, steadier edge when the match starts at Atlanta Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel England DR Congo World Cup knockouts Atlanta Stadium Reece James Jarrell Quansah Ezri Konsa Djed Spence John Stones Declan Rice Morgan Rogers Noni Madueke Bukayo Saka Achilles injury