Thomas Tuchel has made it clear to Premier League managers that he will not hold back their star players from England duty, insisting that national team priorities must be respected. The Three Lions face Latvia at Wembley on Monday night, just three days after Tuchel’s first match in charge against Albania, and while some rotation is expected, the German coach is determined to use every international break to prepare for next summer’s World Cup.
With only six international windows remaining before the tournament, Tuchel is unwilling to compromise, even with clubs entering the decisive stage of their domestic seasons. He acknowledged the club vs country debate, which had largely settled under Gareth Southgate but resurfaced under Lee Carsley’s brief tenure, yet he remains firm in his approach. “I know that this window, this camp, is where the clubs play a very crucial time of the season,” Tuchel said. “They play for championships, they play for quarter-finals in the Champions League. We are very well aware of it, but we have also our own goals, we have our own targets. The players are keen to play and it has to be like this.”
How have your Emirates Stadium favourites been faring in Russia? Here’s how the Arsenal players got on at the World Cup.
After having spent a huge amount of time on the sidelines, it would be difficult forCazorla to make a comeback without a pre-season. However, he says that he has done enough prep work in the last few weeks to think that his return before the end of the campaign could be possible.
Speaking to BeIN Sports, Wenger was asked about the impact of Salah in this season’s Premier League, to which he replied: “For me, he’s one of the best players in Europe at the moment. He can score goals against anybody because in England. You have many good defenders and he’s top scorer in the Premier League. He’s scored in Italy and in England. So overall, I think to keep him quiet will be very difficult at the World Cup.”
David Luiz has followed with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and has not featured in the blues team for the last few months. He is widely expected to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window. At 30 years of age, David Luiz will be an immensely experienced option for Arsenal at the back.
Speaking prior to the second leg versus Milan, Wenger admitted that the club are keen to win the competition in order to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but the route does not get easier with the likes of Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund still in the mix, he said: “You never compare. You’re right, I want to be in the Champions League and in the Europa League, if you look at the teams that are in there, it is very strong.