England fans are surprised by Thomas Tuchel’s choice in the New Zealand World Cup warm-up game.
England fans have been upset with head coach Thomas Tuchel for a risky decision in their World Cup warm-up game against New Zealand.
To get ready for the tournament, Tuchel’s team played New Zealand at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. As expected, Arsenal players Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze didn’t play because they joined the squad late after the Champions League final.
Jordan Pickford started as goalkeeper, with John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Jarell Quansah, and Djed Spence in defense. Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, and Morgan Rogers played midfield, while Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, and Ollie Watkins were in attack.
Before the game, many worried about the hot weather, with temperatures around 33°C on June 6. The pitch was also a big topic, as it looked patchy and dry. Tuchel joked, “We’ll blame the pitch if things don’t go well… New Zealand said it’s not great but playable. Let’s see.”
However, some England fans weren’t amused. They were concerned about players having to play on such a rough pitch just two weeks before the World Cup opener against Croatia. Lots of fans took to social media to say they were worried about captain and star Harry Kane starting the game. They felt an injury to the Bayern Munich striker could ruin England’s chances of winning the trophy.
One fan said, “Every time Harry Kane touched the ball, I was scared he’d get hurt.” Another wrote, “Why start Kane against such a weak team? If he gets injured, it makes no sense.” A third asked, “Why is Kane playing on that bad pitch? Protect him until we face Croatia.” And a fourth added, “He shouldn’t play until the Croatia game to avoid injury.”
Despite the worries, Kane scored the first goal by heading in Djed Spence’s cross just before halftime.
England will play Costa Rica on June 10 before their World Cup opener against Croatia. They will also face Ghana and Panama.
Since Kane has played 51 games for Bayern this season, Tuchel promised to “take care of him” during the tournament by giving him some rest when possible. Tuchel said, “We’d like to take some minutes off him, but if games are close, do we really do that? Our main scorer and captain? Maybe not. The key thing is that Harry is in great shape. He led training today with high energy, showing he’s ready. He’s used to hard matches with Bayern. We don’t need to worry about him, even in the heat. He’s been amazing this week and was crucial in Bayern’s cup final, scoring three goals. We have good options, but Harry is our main man upfront.”