"At the end of an extraordinary day in the US capital and a World Cup draw that lurched between the ridiculous and the sublime (with a greater emphasis on the former, if the truth be told), Thomas Tuchel and England now know. Croatia in Toronto or Dallas. Ghana in Boston or Toronto. Panama in New Jersey or Philadelphia. And that is just the group games. With the excitement running wild and, well, England being England, their determination to bring it home to the fore,"
"It could be Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16 the scene of the Hand of God in 1986. It could be Brazil in Miami in the quarter-finals. Tuchel pulled a face as if to say: Wow. There had been a lot to process. And that is before we talk about the Honourable Donald J Trump and his Fifa peace prize glory."
"Then Tuchel essentially said stop. About the overthinking. About the obsessing. For him, it has to be about the controlling of what England can control. And a phrase that he has mentioned numerous times came up again: bring it on. All the difficulties, everything. England will confront them on their terms. We don't worry, Tuchel said. We don't worry about our opponents. We don't worry about what can happen, what happens in the other groups."
England were drawn into a World Cup group with Croatia, Ghana and Panama, with group matches slated across Toronto, Dallas, Boston, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Knockout permutations include potential ties against Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16 or Brazil in Miami in the quarter-finals. Tuchel urged players to stop overthinking, focus on what England can control and repeat the mantra 'bring it on.' The FA may rethink a Kansas City training base given an east-coast itinerary. The FA also confirmed proposed March friendlies against Japan and Uruguay at Wembley, prompting logistical scrutiny over venues, travel and kick-off timings.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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