Tuchel on ignoring Bellingham and Foden: why England are underdogs at the World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel: England are underdogs at the World Cup

According to The Sun: Thomas Tuchel believes that England will be underdogs in the World Cup final.

The head coach of the 'Three Lions' is preparing for a friendly match against Wales at Wembley and emphasizes that during the team selection, there will be no 'talent gathering', as Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish did not make the team.

Tuchel, who will not be able to rely on captain Harry Kane due to injury, believes that England are not favorites for the next summer due to previous failures.

The German coach noted: “If you have never won Wimbledon, you might be one of the favorites, but not the main favorite.”

“There is Brazil, there is Argentina, Spain and France. This does not mean we have no chance. We want to reach the final 100 percent, but the role must be clear.”

“We must arrive as the best team. We will be underdogs at the World Cup, as we haven’t won it for decades, and we will be playing against teams that have won it multiple times during that time.”

“I do not see why we should burden ourselves with the idea that we are great favorites. When was the last time we won it? Let’s take it step by step, and this only opens up the next step. Once we arrive, we want to win.”

Despite these comments from Tuchel, England remains among the bookmakers' favorites due to a high volume of bets on the 'Three Lions' to win.

The England team is preparing for the match against Wales following an impressive 5-0 victory over Serbia last month.

In response to a question about his decision not to include Bellingham, Foden, or Grealish, he said: “At this moment we stand by our choice, and the radical statement is that we are not gathering the most talented players, we are gathering those who have cohesion and an ideal team structure.”

Tuchel also commented on the words of Steven Gerrard, who in an interview with Rio Ferdinand described England's golden generation as “selfish losers”.

The former Chelsea manager said: “I think the rivalry between clubs was massive at that moment, and they clearly could not find a way to connect with a larger goal, a greater purpose. It was a big opportunity that was missed.”

Harry Kane will miss the match due to an injury he suffered at Bayern, but he may still play in the World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday against Latvia. Tuchel emphasized that Kane is extremely important for the team.

Before the game against Craig Bellamy's team, Tuchel hopes the match will be in the spirit of a derby: “I imagine Bellamy will tell his players. They will want to prove their strength and take full advantage of their role as underdogs, and he realizes how good they can be.”

England squad: Pickford, Spence, Konsa, Guehi, Lewis-Skelly, Anderson, Rice, Saka, Rogers, Gordon, Rashford.

Wales squad: Darlow, Williams, Mepham, Rodon, Davies, Ampadu, James, Brooks, Wilson, Johnson, Harris.

Against the backdrop of such challenging circumstances, England is trying to surpass its own expectations and achieve success in upcoming tournaments. Coach Tuchel hopes his team can come together and showcase their potential despite the absence of several key players. This is a certain challenge, but the fuel source for the team can also lift their spirits, as the preparation for the match against Wales promises to be filled with emotions and tension.