Manchester City’s guilty verdict was a “big topic in camp”, according to England coach Thomas Tuchel ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Nations League clash with Croatia.
The English Premier League announced on Tuesday What was reported last week; An independent committee considered that the club had systematically violated financial rules through “sham” contracts aimed at inflating revenues and reducing costs.
The scale of the fraud, said to have amounted to more than £900 million, was staggering, and there are now a number of sanctions on the table. City continued to deny any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal on Friday after declaring the ruling “unsafe”.
The story has dominated the news agenda this week, and Tuchel admitted it was also discussed among Three Lions players, including Manchester City duo Elliott Anderson and Mark Guehi.
“We had some time off between matches, which was a big issue,” Tuchel said. “Everyone is talking about this topic, so there’s no need for another voice. And I’m happy not to be that voice. No one needs half my knowledge on the topic.”
“Of course, the players talk about it. City players talk about it. We talk to them but only briefly. They are ready to go tomorrow. But of course, it is a big topic in the camp.”
Tuchel will consider selecting City players for England if they are relegated
One possible penalty for City is relegation from the Premier League, and Tuchel said he would consider selecting players from outside the Premier League if it came to that.
He added: “There is always a possibility. I will always try to choose the best team for the camp, event or tournament. I will never rule it out because they are not playing in the top flight in their country. We need to look at it case by case.”
Saturday’s match will be played behind closed doors, with the exception of local schoolchildren and a limited number of England fans, due to repeated misdemeanors by Croatian fans.
Tuchel was wary of his players leaving due to the lack of atmosphere inside the HNK Stadium in Rijeka.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea coach said: “First of all, I am happy for the children who will attend the match tomorrow, because they have the opportunity to come and watch the match and the players nearby.” “I’m happy that our 100 or 200 fans have the opportunity to be here. This means a lot to us. The most loyal fans have the opportunity to watch the match.
“Being behind closed doors, it’s not nice at all. It’s a strange atmosphere. Everyone will love the atmosphere in the stadium – a proper football crowd which will be very different. That’s part we have to take into account. We can’t stop and be in a holiday mood. It may seem like pre-season but it’s not. It’s a crucial match in the Nations League.”
England coach Tuchel warned of the danger of Croatia
England recovered from defeat against Spain last Saturday with an easy 2-0 victory over the Czech team, which played three quarters of the match with ten players on Tuesday.
Croatia also beat the Czechs before losing 4-1 to world champion Spain.
Tuchel said: “We expect a difficult match tomorrow against a great football country and a proud country – a team full of quality.” “A mix of young and experienced players with a young coach. Everyone will be ready to give everything they have for the new coach.
“It looks like a cup match, maybe a cup semi-final. I’m a big fan of Croatia’s players. They have a lot of technical quality and are great competitors. It’s a promising match.”
Tuchel admitted that he is not sure about the system that coach Slaven Bilic will adopt.
“We don’t know what’s coming,” he said. “The coach before was very fluid and switched between a back four and a back five. With Bilic in two games, he chose a back four. But we never know. It could be a surprise.
“It makes it a little difficult because we don’t have proof that Bilic is the coach of Croatia. But sometimes it’s easier because you don’t prepare for all the scenarios you see. You only have two games.
“Hopefully we can implement our style. Croatia can hurt any team and it is important to break the rhythm and that is the task for tomorrow.”
