ATLANTA : England manager Thomas Tuchel warned his players against complacency ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup Round of 32 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the tournament’s string of upsets showed there was little margin for error in knockout football.
England topped their group and face the highest-ranked of the third-placed qualifiers, but Tuchel said surprise eliminations for Germany and the Netherlands, along with narrow victories for Brazil and Norway, served as a timely reminder of the dangers facing favourites.
Germany were knocked out by Paraguay on penalties, while the Netherlands suffered the same fate against Morocco. Brazil needed a late winner to beat Japan, and Norway also struck late to edge past Ivory Coast.
“I think it can calm us down in a way,” Tuchel told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s just narrow margins, it’s tight football matches, and it helps us not to over-expect. It helps to put it in the right framework, what has happened in this World Cup and in world football.
“Teams are well-drilled, teams defend at the highest level, teams are well prepared. And it’s difficult for any team to break teams down, especially when you arrive as a favourite, especially when you face teams who have nothing to lose.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo are one of the tournament’s surprise packages after progressing further than many expected, having held Portugal to a draw during the group stage.
“We expect a similar kind of game like we faced against Ghana, like we faced against Panama,” Tuchel said.
“We arrive as favourites, and they can play in the role of underdog, which suits them very well.
“We have the team spirit, we have the commitment, we have the quality to turn half chances into chances, to make crosses difficult, to arrive with numbers in the box, and to decide this match in maybe very few key moments.”
Tuchel said England had also prepared for the possibility of a penalty shootout.
“I think it’s very difficult to simulate the pressure, so we train what we can train,” he said.
“The FA has a programme in place. We follow this programme in detail, and it’s just an important and very specific part of football that comes into play in knockout matches.
“We usually know who takes them and will have the order in place. But we don’t know who finishes the game, so that’s kind of the adjustment that you have to make.”
England will again be without injured right back Reece James and defender Jarell Quansah.
“The race was close even to make it into the squad this time,” Tuchel said.
“So we need to make sure that we have more matches. That is the main focus and that they will be available very soon.”
