England manager Thomas Tuchel took a subtle dig at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as he clarified his stance on the club vs country rotation debate.
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Tuchel aimed dig at ArtetaRevealed his plan on squad rotationEngland face Latvia on MondayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?
The Tuchel era kicked off in style as England comfortably beat Albania in their first World Cup qualifier on Friday. With the Three Lions set to face Latvia in their second qualifying game on Monday, Tuchel explained his stance on rotating players in international matches. He also hinted that all his important players like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice could feature once again against Latvia, while aiming a swipe at Arsenal's Arteta.
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Speaking to reporters, the German coach said: "Given the fact Declan Rice played in the next [Champions League] match after a 7-1 first leg [win] with Arsenal, I didn’t have the feeling that they think so much about us. So I don’t think we have to break our heads about this [keeping clubs happy]. I take care of the players. We take care of the schedule. But it would be the wrong signal to tell players now ‘hey, you have tough [club] matches coming up so I rest you now’.
"We have a qualifier to play, we do what's good for us. We monitor them, we are in contact with the clubs, we are in high-level monitoring where the statuses are known and we won’t take any unprofessional risks. Because first of all, I feel responsible for the players. I don't want the player to be injured, I want the players to play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League – all of them – because I want to watch it, I want to see it. So this is where it is and in the end, we take care of ourselves and the clubs take care of themselves, and the main focus is taking care of the players."
Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The ex-Chelsea boss added: "I know that this window, this camp, is a window where the clubs play at a very crucial time of the season. They play for championships, they play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We are very well aware of it, but we also have our own goals, we have our own targets. The players are keen to play and it has to be like this. I experienced it many, many times in clubs that players from South American countries don’t even think about dropping one minute because they want to play for their country, they’re proud to play for their country.
"This is also something that we have to understand and accept. I always accepted it as a club manager. I never got involved in line-ups. I never pushed any national coach because I was hoping that my players get picked. I was also hoping that they are proud to play. Of course, you’re never happy if something happens. No one can predict that there is no accident, but we have a World Cup qualifier and we’ll make responsible decisions."
WHAT NEXT?
Rice has featured in five matches for club and country in a span of 17 days in March. However, after the Latvia clash on Monday, the midfielder will get eight days to recover from the fatigue before taking the field for the Gunners on April 1 against Fulham.