Thomas Tuchel has expressed confidence in his England squad's professionalism after granting them a day and a half off during their pre-World Cup training camp in Florida. The manager allowed the players to do as they pleased, provided they did not take any flights, as the team prepares to move to Kansas City for the group stage.
The relaxed approach has characterized the camp in West Palm Beach, where the squad has combined hard training with downtime. Since arriving last Monday, players have been able to enjoy evenings out without significant attention from the public or media.
England secured wins against New Zealand (1-0) and Costa Rica (3-0) in warm-up matches. Tuchel emphasized the importance of mental rest before the tournament begins. 'The players can almost do what they want. No flights because hopefully we have a lot of flights through the tournament,' he said.
Tuchel also revealed that Jude Bellingham could be deployed as a striker during the World Cup, having used him in that role against Costa Rica. Bellingham's movement created a penalty converted by Anthony Gordon. 'Jude can play as the No 9 almost like in a free role,' Tuchel noted, adding that options like Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are also performing well.
