THOMAS TUCHEL’S plan to win the World Cup has been revealed — and it is more about high fives than back fives.
The new England boss has told his players he does not have time to introduce any visionary new tactics — but wants his team to become a ‘brotherhood’.
And the German believes body language is key, claiming that NBA outfits who perform the most high-fives with team-mates are more likely to win.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn, who has the 6ft 7in frame of a basketball player himself, is in Tuchel’s squad as much for his strong character as his playing ability.
And while Burn insists ‘I’m not just here to be a cheerleader’, he clearly buys into Tuchel’s philosophy that team bonding will play a major role at next year’s tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.
Burn, 32, said: “The manager had a meeting on Monday night, saying that we have only got 24 training days until the World Cup, so it is not a lot at all.
“It is not going to be that he can really implement a strong way he wants us to play, which can take time, it is more about how we interact with each other and push each other. Not being afraid to speak up if something is not right.
“Especially when I was younger, I would struggle with that because you didn’t want to ruffle any feathers.
“But I think that is how you learn best about each other — if something is not right or you feel you could push more, I feel that is how we are going to have to be if we want to achieve that ultimate aim of winning the World Cup.”
Asked if he would be happy, as an international rookie, to have a go at Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane, Burn replied: “Absolutely. I’ve no problem with that!”
Tuchel has been asking previous tournament winners from other nations for insights on what makes a successful team, as well as studying sports such as basketball.
And Burn said: “There was more talk about ‘brotherhood’ in that initial meeting. It was more about mentality and how he wanted us to act around each other.
“He said he’d spoken to players from previous tournaments and from other countries about what the difference was between where they went out in early rounds and what happened when they won it.
“And a lot of it was about interactions. The best teams historically in the NBA are normally the teams high-fiving each other, picking each other up and having a lot of those interactions.
“We do a lot of that at Newcastle and speak about it, knowing those things keep people switched on and keep motivation levels high.
“Working under people like Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, they say a lot of the time in meetings, people don’t want to speak up because they find it a bit embarrassing.
“But I love the NFL and I feel like they’re really good at that. If they feel something going to help the group, they’ll just get up and say that — and I feel that’s something English football could probably learn from.
“I feel we’ll learn most about each other and you get close to each other as a team. When you do that, you take a risk and stand up in front of people and speak and be a bit vulnerable.”
Burn has enjoyed a dream week, scoring the opener in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool, just two days after receiving his first England call-up from Tuchel.
And the bruising defender admits he has to apologise to a few new team-mates, saying: “I absolutely smashed Jarrod Bowen when we were at West Ham and straight away, I went to apologise. I think it was a bit of red mist.”
Burn confesses to having played his entire career with a ‘chip on my shoulder, wanting to prove people wrong’ after a career of ups and downs.
And he knows his ungainly frame can make him the target for excessive criticism.
When Tuchel announced his squad last Friday he quipped that ‘despite being 6ft 7in, Burn was easy to overlook’.
Burn said: “That made me laugh a little bit but it’s probably the story of my career. Visually, on the pitch, if I do make a mistake, I feel it is probably magnified just by how it looks. I was actually surprised how tall the gaffer is!”
Tuchel is 6ft 4in and he made Burn feel ten feet tall when they spoke on FaceTime twice last week.
Burn said: “It started off with the manager FaceTiming me on Tuesday, saying they were debating calling me up and he’d let us know by Thursday.
“Then it got to six o’clock on Thursday night and I’d not heard anything, so I said to my wife ‘nothing’s going to happen’. Then I got a text saying ‘are you still awake?’ at 10pm.
“He FaceTimed, told us the good news and said I was very unprofessional for not being in bed by 10 o’clock!
“He said he wanted me in the squad and just to use what he felt my strengths were.
“I thought I could offer just as much off the pitch as on it. I feel I’m a leader on and off the pitch.
“I know it’s going to be tough coming here with all these international players but that’s how I feel I can best help the team.”
Read the full article here