The special footwear England players are wearing to help them focus | OneFootball

England’s World Cup preparations are embracing cutting-edge neuroscience with players wearing footwear designed to enhance their focus.

As the squad targets glory in North America, having narrowly missed out the last two European Championships, no detail is overlooked.

The national team has a history of adopting novel performance aids, and some players are now trialling shoes that Nike claims "engage the sensory areas of your brain via the thousands of mechanoreceptors underfoot".

Defender Ezri Konsa is among those testing the ‘Mind’ range, notably appearing in a distinctive mule version during media duties ahead of Thursday’s qualifier against Serbia.

England boss Tuchel said of the footwear: “They told me they can focus better in meetings if they wear these shoes and I hope they believe it.

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Defender Ezri Konsa is among those testing the ‘Mind’ range (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“Maybe the most important thing is that they believe it. I don’t know the science behind it.

“They are desperate to tell me, but I haven’t found time to get my head around it. But all the players are wearing them.”

Asked if he believes in the power of positive thought, the German coach said: “Yes, 100 per cent. So long as everybody believes it.”

Tuchel says he will test the new shoes himself around the camp, saying he’s “always happy to try stuff”.

Among the tools the England boss has embraced to help him on and off the field is meditation, which he started doing long before joining Chelsea.

“I would encourage everyone to try to do it,” Tuchel said. “I believe that it works. Even if you don’t believe that it works you don’t have to. That’s the nice thing about meditation.

“We have Suzanne (Scott) in camp who does fantastic breathwork sessions. She does more stuff than just that, but she does it and the players buy into it. They feel the relief. There are many ways about it.

“I did it with the whole team at Dortmund. It was a nice experience. But football became more individual.

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Tuchel has also embraced meditation and breathwork (John Walton/PA)

“Players have their support system around them. A lot of them invest in meditation and breathwork and pilates and visualisation and yoga.”

Tuchel finds meditation beneficial when working in such a high-pressure environment, saying with a laugh that “everything about football” stresses him out.

“It helps me to calm down, to focus and be aware,” he added. “I don’t know how you feel the effect. It’s not like you do it and it’s immediately ‘oh wow’.

“It’s more of an ongoing thing. The more you do it the more effect you feel but it’s subtle.”