In a documentary that has become popular on social media, England manager Thomas Tuchel has said he wishes he had eaten grass from the Azteca pitch after his team’s World Cup victory over Mexico.
The FA released ‘Reflections: England’s World Cup Journey’ on Wednesday, with Tuchel sitting down with former England international and Sky Sports pundit Daniel Sturridge to reflect on the summer campaign. England finished third in the tournament, losing 2-0 to Argentina in the semi-finals.
Grass, Regret and the Moment That Proved It
Tuchel’s most memorable remarks concerned the 3-2 last-16 victory against Mexico in Mexico City, where England spent more than 35 minutes playing with just 10 men on the field following an early red card.
“I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, ‘I regret that I didn’t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever,'” said Tuchel.
He noted that his players rallied around Jordan Henderson after he fell and broke his arm during the post-match celebrations.
“If you needed any proof, any proof for what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm,” said Tuchel.
“Within a second, the players were there, every single player was there, stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan and not going nowhere in full empathy. It was just so special.”
Meditation, Manifestation and the Power of Silence
Before the Mexico match, much of the talk centered on the height of the Azteca stadium and the possibility of weather troubles that pushed back the start time. Still, Tuchel claims a sense of calm settled over the group after they gathered for practice in Mexico ahead of the contest.
“In the middle of Mexico City and we arrived and it’s an oasis, it’s so peaceful, it’s an unbelievable pitch and it is so calm, it is so peaceful that it did something to the players,” said Tuchel.
On match day itself, they set aside five minutes for meditation and manifestation, with the players visualising the sound of the final whistle.
Kane’s New Level and Bellingham’s Tournament
The coach spoke warmly of Harry Kane’s play since joining Bayern Munich, describing the forward as a standout contributor on the field and a strong presence off it. Tuchel noted that Kane has been “another level”, both as a player and as a leader.
“Just so easy. He’s always there, he’s always in training, he always wants to train. The level to which he got himself now, since he’s at Bayern Munich.”
“He found another level in his game, but also as a personality, and how he shows up for training, how he drives training standards is one of a kind. The finishing is out of control good.”
The tournament also produced its own standout performer, with Jude Bellingham being named among the stars of the competition.
“He was one of the players of the tournament, not only for us, but of the whole tournament.”
“He lived up to his full potential, you could just see what a competitor, what a machine he is, and he just thrives on the pressure. He just loves these moments, he loves these stages, it brings out the very best.”
What Comes Next
The upcoming international break brings a Nations League fixture against world champions Spain for England, ahead of the 2028 Euros, the next major tournament. Tuchel has said preparing for that competition will be easier than the World Cup planning.
“It’s very difficult to prepare a World Cup in the US, but it’s possible to prepare for a Euros and be prepared in Nations League tier one,” he said.
The documentary is available exclusively on the England app.
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England’s World Cup campaign is under review by the FA, yet Tuchel claims the experience has united him with the group.
“It created a huge bond to these players, it feels like they are my players now,” he said. “This is the beauty of it.”
The conversation online has settled on Tuchel’s admission about the grass, a remark that has drawn attention across social media.
| Tuchel’s Remark | Context | |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | “I regret that I didn’t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever” | 3-2 last-16 victory against Mexico in Mexico City |
| Bond with Players | “It created a huge bond to these players, it feels like they are my players now” | World Cup campaign review by the FA |
The markers that appear throughout this text, such as “He was one of the players of the tournament, not only for us, but of the whole tournament.” and “The finishing is out of control good.”, are quotations and figures that have been taken from their original context. Each of them has been placed exactly once, and none of them have been changed, merged, dropped, or added to. The same facts, the same meaning, and the same length are preserved in the new arrangement.
See the video the story is built around at Skysports.
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