Thomas Tuchel to use not-so-secret weapon to give England major World Cup 2026 edge

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Thomas Tuchel believes England’s set-piece specialists can give them a huge advantage at the World Cup.

Tuchel insists free kicks, corners and throw-ins will be vital in the searing heat of North America this summer when it comes to finding an extra edge in knock-out football. England have set-piece specialists in their squad as Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are Arsenal ’s first choice corner takers while keeper Jordan Pickford's Everton have yet to concede from a corner away from home.

Tuchel says he favours the beautiful game but admits English football is in a “very physical era” and he wants to take that weapon to the World Cup. They have Newcastle ’s 6ft 7in defender Dan Burn and Tuchel says Harry Maguire has a “super-strength” in both penalty boxes which is why he is back in the squad for the friendlies with Uruguay and Japan.

England are splitting the 35 man squad between the two Wembley games but you can be sure they will be doing plenty of work on corners, free kicks and throw-ins in their training sessions.

International football has always been about possession and technique but Tuchel believes this World Cup will be very different. English players may also have an edge over other countries simply because set-pieces are more prevalent in the Premier League than other top European leagues.

Tuchel said: “We’re in a very physical era of the game in the Premier League and an era where set pieces, free kicks, corners and throw-ins are very highly rated. That’s just the reality of it and it is part of the match in the Premier League maybe more than other leagues and that is just the reality.

“It is part of it and even if I mentioned set pieces many times today it is not the main part of our approach. But it has to be a part especially in knockout football. We need to come up with a good plan on how to defend and how to attack (set plays) and make it an advantage.

“It has to be now, in the last games before the World Cup, it has to be in our thoughts – how to change matches, how to influence matches, how to open up a match. It’s just the way it is.”

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Arsenal have become the Premier League’s set-piece specialists and their effectiveness from corners and free-kicks have propelled them to the top of the table. But Manchester United are not far behind and it has become a huge - and also new - trend in English club football.

It has grown while Tuchel has been in charge of England and has been managing an international side. The World Cup will mark 18 months of Tuchel’s reign as England manager.

But Tuchel, who led Chelsea to the Champions League within months of taking over at Stamford Bridge, insists he has not lost any edge on the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta while he has been away.

Tuchel added: “Hopefully not! I feel quite excited now to have the players coming back. It is very different to club football. Once I felt it.

“But coming to Wembley gives you a kind of edge, I feel the edge when I see matches in stadiums and I will be there to push the team against Uruguay and then against Japan and in the US I will push and fight for my team for the best outcome.”

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