England manager Thomas Tuchel has firmly downplayed his team’s status ahead of the tournament in the United States, insisting the Three Lions cannot be considered the favorites to win it.
Speaking during a pre-tournament press conference from the team’s training base in Florida, the German tactician attempted to ease expectations weighing on his star-studded squad.
Tuchel argued that historical performance heavily dictates tournament favoritism, an area where England currently falls short compared to rival nations. He noted that it is impossible to label his side as frontrunners simply because the country has not lifted the trophy in decades.
He noted: “No we’re not the top favorites. We can’t be because we haven’t won it for so so many years. So there are like proven winners in the tournament with more success in recent tournaments so these are the favorites.”
Instead of accepting the heavy crown of tournament favorites, the manager pointed to several historic powerhouses as the true teams to beat. He explicitly named Brazil, Argentina, and Spain as the leading candidates most likely to secure global glory this summer.
“I strongly believe we are there, but I strongly believe we are not the favourites because of history.” Tuchel said.
Rather than looking at this assessment as a lack of ambition, Tuchel clarified that he views England as elite challengers. He believes that removing the artificial burden of favoritism allows his players to build their confidence in a more authentic way.
“…we compete for the trophy, we dream big and we know what it takes. If you dream big [it] comes with responsibility. Responsibility is on the effort and this is where our focus is and we want to compete. …we don’t go all the way but I don’t think we are the heavy favorites. But you can win it of course and we want to win it.” Tuchel added.
The head coach emphasized that his side will essentially arrive at the tournament as underdogs. He added that England will be going toe-to-toe with historic heavyweights who have repeatedly won the competition during the decades of English absence.
Despite deflecting the top billing, Tuchel maintained that he has unwavering belief in what his group can achieve when they step onto the pitch. He noted that his players are focused on going all the way, provided they approach the task with unity.
England will kick off their campaign against Croatia on June 17, following a final warm-up match against Costa Rica on Thursday in Orlando. Tuchel’s men are desperate to break their long historical drought and finally put a second star on the national shirt.
England last won the coveted FIFA World Cup trophy sixty years ago on home soil in 1966. Their best ever finishes in the competition without winning were their fourth-place finishes in both 1990 and 2018. The Three Lions reached the quarter-finals in 2022.
