VIDEO SHOWS: ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL SPEAKS AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AT HOME TO SERBIA RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 12, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL WALKING INTO PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL, ON WHETHER HE'LL USE THEIR STATUS AS ALREADY QUALIFIED TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE TEAM, SAYING: "We will always try a bit and adapt, but I didn't feel us experimenting in the last two camps, and we will not start in this camp. This is a package of three camps. We take it serious, it's World Cup qualifiers, home match. We're here to win, we want to build on what we built and keep on going." 3. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL, ON WHETHER HE HAS A SOLID IDEA OF WHAT HIS SQUAD WILL LOOK LIKE NEXT SUMMER AT THE WORLD CUP, SAYING: "I know quite a lot about tomorrow, but about May and June, I don't know so much. I hold myself back from knowing too much, or pretending to know too much, or even being too focused. So much can happen. Nobody wants injuries to happen, but injuries can happen, players can pull out, players can drop in form, other players can have a form (surge). I'm very much open for the next months, so that's why I don't feel the pressure and I don't feel the World Cup urge at the moment. I just feel the excitement and the pressure for tomorrow because we want to perform. And it is like always, it's step by step, and the next step is Serbia tomorrow." 5. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL, ON WHAT SERBIA WILL LOOK LIKE NOW UNDER NEW COACH VELJKO PAUNOVIĆ, SAYING: "Now, there is a new coach with new energy, like you said, in the same strong group, a proud group, a group of players, and we have to do it again. This is what football and what elite sports is all about. It's always about the next match. It does not help us to look back just at the (previous) result (against Serbia) and misinterpret it into an easy match. We put a lot into it and we will have to put a lot into it tomorrow. There is a special task to it that we absolutely don't know what's coming. We don't know from the structure what is coming. We can just guess and we can just presume what we think is coming when we analyse the coach's teams. But we don't know, so it's a big test for us to adapt in the game, to be flexible, to adapt, to communicate quickly and to adapt in our press and to adapt in our attacking and defending shape to what the opponent is offering. Because we basically have no evidence of the team and the coach playing together." 7. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MANAGER THOMAS TUCHEL, ON EXPECTATIONS FOR MARCUS RASHFORD, SAYING: "He's in a good place. He's with us in our squad because he deserves (it). He needs to prove himself in Barcelona every three days, which is good for us. He needs to prove himself in our camps, which is just a normal and right thing to do, to bring the best out of him. It's still such a long time to go. My head is not in the World Cup and not in the end of the season. We deal with everything when it comes to it, and he's in a good place now. He's competitive, and that's why he's here, and he needs to prove the point in the next two matches." 9. TUCHEL LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE STORY: England coach Thomas Tuchel said the time for experimentation is over as he prepares his squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania. With a 100% record from six games in Group K, 18 goals scored and none conceded, England have breezed into next year's finals in North America where they will be among the favourites. However, the German said there is no chance of trying out anything radically different at home to Serbia at Wembley on Thursday (November 13) or in Tirana on Sunday — England's last competitive matches before he names his World Cup squad. England thrashed Serbia 5-0 in Belgrade in September in what was arguably the standout performance of his tenure. That result, and a 1-0 loss to Albania, led to Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic resigning and his successor Veljko Paunovic has been left trying to salvage the qualification campaign. Serbia are third and scrapping with Albania for a runners-up spot and a chance to qualify via the playoffs. There might be more riding on Thursday's clash for the Serbs, but Tuchel said it was vital England maintain the momentum they have generated. He also expects Serbia to be highly motivated to make amends for what happened at home. Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi will miss Thursday's game with a foot injury but Tuchel has not ruled him out for Albania. After the conclusion of the qualifiers, Tuchel has two friendly internationals in March to fine-tune his squad, with Japan and Uruguay still to be confirmed as opponents. The World Cup draw takes place on December 5. (Production: Gerry Mey, Mussab Al-Khairalla)
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