England coach Tuchel says the Three Lions will need their own "finishing squad" at next year's World Cup. This is a new term in rugby that refers to a coach making a large number of offensive substitutions late in a game in an effort to win the game.
Tuchel believes that it is impossible for any team to stick to the same starting eleven from beginning to end throughout the entire World Cup next summer, which may be played in temperatures as high as 40 degrees. Now Tuchel is obviously working towards this plan. In the team's 2-0 victory over Serbia, he replaced Bellingham, Foden and Eze in the final stage, which gave fans an initial glimpse of the future trend.
Tuchel believes it will become even more important next year to be able to switch to fast, physical forwards to win games, and the key to success may lie more in the players who finish the game than the starters. Star players may not enjoy being on the bench, but Tuchel says it may be more important for England because too many players endure long, grueling, draining seasons in the Premier League.
Tuchel said: "We need a strong bench. We will be playing in 40-degree temperatures and after a very long season. We are probably the team most affected by international football, a long season, two cups, cup finals, semi-finals. We 100% need to be ready to make substitutions until the later stages of the World Cup."
"Once we get into a competition, I think role clarity is very important. Better players can also think about this and be honest about: 'Can I accept this, is this good for me, can I contribute the best to the team for this?'"
Tuchel has warned that in his current England system and formation, Kane, Bellingham and Foden cannot all start together. That means at least one of the team's biggest stars will be out, and there's also the consideration of adding Eze, Morgan Rodgers and Palmer into the lineup. He even had to go through the trouble of telling Bournemouth's Alex Scott that he didn't even make the matchday squad against Serbia.
Even Tuchel admits it will be difficult because going from a club's biggest star or key player to being benched in England could be seen as a blow to their egos. But it’s also the key to success. "They're in the England squad because they're often picked, they're in because they're captains and key players for the club," Tuchel said. "Then I announce my squad and 10 of them have to be on the bench, but you've got See, I usually just pick 21 out of 23 because I just hate that conversation, telling Alex Scott yesterday, 'You're not on the roster,' I don't like it, I get a stomachache, and even seeing players on the bench, they never like that. But I have no doubt they will accept it. "
"Once we go into a tournament, what is your role? I think in a ten-day camp, it's easy, sometimes you're not selected, or you're not. I think this is normal for the contenders for the player who may have the upper hand and often starts."
FIFA has not yet confirmed the number of players in next summer's World Cup squad, but due to the expansion to 48 teams and the conditions of the competition, it is likely to be 26 people this time. Tuchel welcomes a review of the number of substitutions and how many substitutions can be used.
Tuchel added: "Good question, I don't think we're going to get another number from FIFA anytime soon. We have to adapt to five substitutions and think outside the box and maybe even make the most of the one extra substitution we have at half-time. We can maybe make one or two substitutions at half-time to get another substitution in the second half."