Thomas Tuchel will consider keeping England substitutes in the changing room if temperatures are too hot at the America World Cup.
Landing in Washington for the World Cup draw, Tuchel also said England “we be brave enough to dream” about winning it.
The risks posed by high temperatures next summer after sweltering scenes at the Club World Cup are a significant concern for the Football Association. With 48 teams featuring across Canada, Mexico and the United States, Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, underlined unprecedented “logistical challenges”.
“The distances involved, the climate changes, the altitude changes, just provide extra challenges,” Tuchel explained. The likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich kept substitutes inside to stay cool as on-field temperatures soared well beyond 30C.
When asked about England potentially doing the same, Tuchel told BBC News at Ten: “If this is what helps us later in matches when they come on, we have to consider it a possibility.”
“Nobody likes it because I want the players to be out there to feel the energy and give us energy from the bench on to the field,” he said. “But I saw players doing this at the Club World Cup. Hopefully we can avoid it. It’s always better when they can be with us outside.”
Experts have warned high temperatures, wildfires and even hurricanes could affect teams, fans and stadium workers. There is also a risk of thunderstorms after many caused delays to matches during the Club World Cup.
Tuchel and Bullingham will be at the draw on Friday to find out their group opponents.
A schedule and match timings will not be announced until Saturday, however. The manager, after a near faultless qualifying campaign, sounded an optimistic tone about England’s prospects as one of the pre-tournament favourites. “We will be brave enough to dream about it, we will be brave enough to try it,” he added.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have been absent from recent squads, but the pair appear all-but-certain to be integral members of the squad next summer. Tuchel added that a line had been drawn after his previous comments on Bellingham, his star player.
“I’m not sure if I know the starting XI but I know players I’m certain I want to have with us in the US,” Tuchel said.
Earlier, Fifa referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina said he was in favour of using VAR to rule on corner kicks at next summer’s World Cup, saying it would be a pity if an “honest mistake” by a referee decided a match. Telegraph Sport reported on Monday how the governing body could get special dispensation to extend the VAR protocols.
