Tuchel shrugs off talk of an 'English curse' | OneFootball

The titles of the women's team and the U-21 team in the Eurocup prove that there is no "curse" in England, joked the coach of the men's national team, German Thomas Tuchel, whose goal is to win the World Cup in 2026.

Sarina Wiegman's 'Lionesses' were European champions in July, as were Lee Carsley's 'Young Lions', but Tuchel does not see this as additional pressure.

"I was very happy for Sarina and Lee, they made an extraordinary effort and it is a great success to win the title," the coach replied in a press conference on the eve of the match against Andorra, in Birmingham, for the European qualifiers for next year's World Cup.

"If it has any meaning, then it is a good omen. There is no curse on English teams," he added.

England is seeking its first title since the 1966 World Cup, which it won at home, the only one for the country in men's football. The 'Three Lions' lost the last two Eurocup finals, in 2021 and 2024, with Gareth Southgate in charge, against Italy and Spain, respectively.

With Tuchel, the team beat Albania, Latvia, and Andorra in the opening of the qualifiers, although they did not impress even against very modest opponents.

Moreover, England lost its last match, played in June, a friendly against Senegal. However, the German coach says that the fans have warmly welcomed him, despite this lackluster start.

"They give me a lot of advice, for sure, but always in a friendly way. Most simply tell me 'Bring it Home, Thomas' (bring it home - the World Cup). Basically, that is the mission to fulfill," he acknowledged.

In the September matches, Tuchel will not be able to count on several possible starters due to injuries (Bellingham, Colwill, Foden, Palmer, and Saka). On Friday, defender John Stones suffered a muscle problem and joined the list of absentees.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.