Thomas Tuchel wishes he’d eaten grass from the Azteca pitch after England’s World Cup win over Mexico this summer.
That’s just one of the statements from the England boss which has drawn attention across social media, following the FA releasing a new documentary called ‘Reflections: England’s World Cup Journey’.
In the documentary, Tuchel sits alongside former England international and Sky Sports pundit Daniel Sturridge to look back on England’s campaign, which ultimately saw the team finish third, having lost in the semi-finals to Argentina.
England’s standout performance of the tournament came in the last-16 win over Mexico in Mexico City, where they played for over 35 minutes with 10 men but prevailed 3-2.
“I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, ‘I regret that I didn’t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever’,” said Tuchel.
On the unity his players showed in that match, Tuchel pointed to their reaction to Jordan Henderson falling and breaking his arm in the post-match celebrations.
“If you needed any proof, any proof for what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm,” said Tuchel.
Jordan Henderson receives treatment after suffering an injury in the post-game celebrations following England’s win against Mexico
“Within a second, the players were there, every single player was there, stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan and not going nowhere in full empathy. It was just so special.”
The film will be released on Wednesday September 16 exclusively on the England app.
The build-up to the Mexico game had been dominated by talk of the altitude of the Azteca stadium but also the potential for weather delays, which proved founded with kick-off pushed back.
But Tuchel says a calm came over the group when they trained together in Mexico before the match and meditation and manifestation helped them to achieve the victory.
“In the middle of Mexico City and we arrived and it’s an oasis, it’s so peaceful, it’s an unbelievable pitch and it is so calm, it is so peaceful that it did something to the players,” said Tuchel.
“They came out from the gym straight out on the pitch, they were having phone calls, walking around, it was such a peaceful energy.
“So we came up with this line of ‘silence is powerful’, that we enjoy the silence, we’re in a home country, we will play against the whole nation, the whole nation will be against us, the stadium, it’s almost impossible to win in the stadium, no one has ever done it before in a World Cup match.
“So let’s enjoy the silence, the power of the silence. We even had five minutes on the match day of meditation and manifestation of the last whistle.”
Tuchel speaks to players during a hydration break
The FA are currently undergoing a review of England’s World Cup campaign but Tuchel says the experience has bonded him and the group together and he is “excited” about what comes next.
England face world champions Spain in the Nations League in the upcoming international break with the 2028 Euros the next major tournament. Tuchel reckons preparing for that tournament will be easier than the planning which was required for the 2026 World Cup.
“It created a huge bond to these players, it feels like they are my players now. This is the beauty of it,” said Tuchel.
“When you have a manager and then you have success and you have painful moments together, but you have so much time together and then you create a natural bond.
“I’m happy to see them, I’m happy to challenge them, happy to push them and very proud to be a part of them.
“I’m very excited. I’m excited to work with these players. I’m excited to have new, young players that we can bring into camp and that they can learn.
“We’ve got another step closer and I think we’re there.
“It’s very difficult to prepare a World Cup in the US, but it’s possible to prepare for a Euros and be prepared in Nations League tier one.
“The target is to have another 10 matches. We had 10 matches in the US, eight wins, one draw, one painful loss, but that is something to build on.
“We have all the right to hold our heads high and go with courage and positivity into the next challenges.
“We have four matches in the Nations League coming up and that’s where the focus is.”
Tuchel on Harry Kane going to another level
Harry Kane celebrates scoring for England at the World Cup
“Just so easy. He’s always there, he’s always in training, he always wants to train. The level to which he got himself now, since he’s at Bayern Munich.
“The level of commitment and training, how he arrived in prep camp, how he arrived in the qualification matches, the speech after the October camp, and he straight away stood up in the dressing room and said, ‘guys, we will keep on going in November, this is what we do’.
“He found another level in his game, but also as a personality, and how he shows up for training, how he drives training standards is one of a kind. The finishing is out of control good.”
On Jude Bellingham living up to his full potential
Jude Bellingham celebrates as England go on to beat Erling Haaland’s Norway at the World Cup
“He was one of the players of the tournament, not only for us, but of the whole tournament.
“He lived up to his full potential, you could just see what a competitor, what a machine he is, and he just thrives on the pressure. He just loves these moments, he loves these stages, it brings out the very best.
“He came with an amazing mindset into camp, with the best physical preparation. He came fresh, he came hungry, hungry for football, hungry for minutes into camp. He took his place and decided every single match for us.”
On the England fans and their ‘special’ connection with the team
England players join fans for a rendition of Wonderwall after beating DR Congo
“They lived up to the high expectations.
“Everyone told me, ‘wait until the tournament starts, we will have the best fans, we will be right on top, it will be amazing, the amount of people…’ and it was just like that from the first moment.
“They just felt this team. I believe that fans have a sense, maybe they cannot name it, someone will say, ‘yeah, they give everything, they’re sweating, after the whistle goes, they have to sit down because they’re so tired’. For everyone it’s maybe different, they feel it, they could sense it, that this team is together and this team means it.
“That’s what made the connection so strong. That was not artificial. That was very special.”
