Thomas Tuchel said it would be “absurd” to let England players or their clubs decide which fixtures they take part in during the extended Nations League period. He pledged to pursue victory with maximum intensity when England face Czechia in Prague on Tuesday.
The head coach acknowledged that Declan Rice required a break and could not be selected because of the Arsenal midfielder’s demanding workload over several seasons and his known fitness concerns. Rice attended Wembley on Saturday as England suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain in their first Nations League fixture.
However, with the squad now assembled, Tuchel insists there can be no concessions and no discussions with club coaches seeking agreements over playing time. He would prefer not to make changes to his starting lineup, although he accepts that may not be realistic. Following the game in Prague, England travel to Rijeka to meet Croatia on Saturday before returning to Wembley for another match against Czechia next Tuesday.
“I do not accept calls from Premier League managers,” Tuchel said. “When I worked in club football, I never contacted a national-team coach. I cannot control the players’ minutes because that is simply impossible. As a club coach, I understood that if I called a coach in Brazil or Argentina, neither the coach nor the players would understand what I was asking for.
“Why would I send a message to the players that it is acceptable to ease off, play only one half or sit out a match? I would never do that. It makes no sense. Our objective is to win the next game. Ideally, I would avoid rotating the team, but I do not know whether that will be feasible. The perfect situation would be to keep going with at least six or seven of the same starters, giving them responsibility and showing that we trust them.”
Tuchel admitted that losing to Spain had added significance to the visit to Prague, but he showed no concern. “It is a situation we are capable of dealing with,” he said. “We must take the initiative and attack the challenge. There is no opportunity to conserve energy or adopt a cautious approach. This is how the team and the coaching staff want to play, so we must commit to it.”
Tuchel was also questioned about whether Jude Bellingham, who delivered a powerful display against Spain, could maintain his relentless approach across three more England matches in a short period. “That is the only way he knows how to play,” Tuchel said.
“It is simply part of his game. He does not conserve energy on the pitch. We will see how things develop. I would like him to feature in all four matches, but he has not faced such an intense sequence this season. We must consult the medical staff, and we will not expose Jude to unnecessary danger.”
Bellingham produced five opportunities against Spain, more than any other player, and supplied the pass for Anthony Gordon’s equaliser to make it 1-1. He also earned the penalty that Harry Kane failed to convert when England had an opportunity to move 3-1 ahead. His repeated forward runs with the ball caused major problems for the world champions. He was also involved in a confrontation with Real Madrid teammate Marc Cucurella after 35 minutes.
“Jude responds well to situations like that and often improves because of them,” Tuchel said. “He performs better when there is some anger in his game. At times, it seems as though he searches for those incidents to ignite himself. During an international match, he does not recognise any Madrid teammates as allies. The friendships remain, but they are set aside for those 90 minutes.”
The meeting with Spain was an unpredictable contest. England conceded early and might have trailed by four or five goals after 35 minutes because of their disorganised defending. They recovered to take a 2-1 advantage into half-time, but the momentum shifted after Kane missed a penalty in the 54th minute when his planted foot slipped. Tuchel maintained that his side was close to overcoming one of the strongest teams in international football.
“If Harry stays on his feet, we win the match,” Tuchel said. “We would have moved two goals clear, and until then we had clearly been the stronger side. Spain, of course, never lose their composure. How large is the gap between us? On this occasion, it came down to one minor slip from Harry.
“A victory would have been deserved, but it would not have turned us into the leading candidates for the European Championship. We have to progress one stage at a time. Spain selected their strongest available side, while we were without several important players. I am satisfied with the performance. We had the chance to win, but we failed to take it.”
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