England's World Cup campaign is already being shaped by injury management and cautious ambition. As Thomas Tuchel prepares his squad for the tournament in North America, the careful stewardship of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has become a defining early challenge — a reminder that even the most talented rosters must be handled with precision when championships loom.
Saka sustained a muscle injury in March that lingered through Arsenal's domestic season push, though he managed to return in time for the club's Premier League title run-in. Now, ahead of England's opener against Croatia on June 17, Tuchel is taking what he calls "a little bit of care" to rebuild the 24-year-old's fitness. "He made himself available at the end of the season and did so brilliantly, but he was managed in between matches. That continues a bit at the moment — we are building him up," Tuchel explained at a news conference. The cautiousness reflects Saka's importance: he has scored 14 goals in 48 appearances for the Three Lions, making him one of England's most potent attacking weapons heading into the tournament.
The broader picture is one of cautious confidence. Tuchel, the 52-year-old German manager, has emphasized that England cannot be considered favourites despite their recent trajectory — reaching two consecutive European Championship finals and semi-finals in the last World Cup. Yet he believes the squad has the foundation to compete. "I strongly believe we are there, but I also believe we are not the favourites because of the history," he said. England last won a major tournament in 1966, and Tuchel sees that gap as both a motivator and a reality check.
The team emerged from a 1-0 warm-up victory over New Zealand with all players available and injury-free, a critical piece of news as preparations intensify. Tuchel made 11 substitutions at half-time in that match, a deliberate strategy to assess his squad's readiness. Upcoming warm-up fixtures against Costa Rica and another opponent before Croatia will give players varying amounts of game time — some playing 60 to 70 minutes — to build their match fitness without overloading anyone.
Defender John Stones, who had a peripheral role at Manchester City last season, is among those who could benefit from extended minutes. "Everyone is available which is very good news," Tuchel said after the first training sessions, noting there had been no injury complaints.
Beyond the pitch, Tuchel has expressed gratitude to the Football Association for allowing him to focus purely on football amid mounting political tensions surrounding the tournament. FIFA's denial of entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan and a series of visa complications involving Iranian participants have created distractions, but Tuchel has been granted space to keep his team's attention locked on the competition itself.
His message to the squad is one of disciplined dreaming. "We dare to dream, and that's important," he said, framing the challenge as a step-by-step ascent rather than a sprint to glory. Success will require "hard work, responsibility, commitment and discipline — and sometimes disappointment." That philosophy — neither dismissing England's chances nor overestimating them — may be the truest measure of a manager who has learned that managing a World Cup campaign is as much about managing expectations as managing players.