Tuchel: Sensational exits of the favorites will help England avoid inflated expectations in...

The head coach of the England national team, Thomas Tuchel, said that the unexpected early departures of the national teams of Germany and the Netherlands from the World Cup will play into the hands of his team. According to the expert, these high-profile sensations will calm the English and help reduce the pressure of inflated expectations before the 1/16 final match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will take place on Wednesday in Atlanta. England approach the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as undisputed favourites. DR Congo have never reached the play-offs before, while England are aiming for their second World Cup 60 years after their only triumph. However, the game will take place against the backdrop of shocking news: just two days earlier, Germany sensationally beat Paraguay, and the Netherlands defeated Morocco at the same stage of the tournament. Asked by journalists if the loud losses of the favorites in the 1/16 finals were a warning for England, Tuchel answered philosophically: "The match between the Netherlands and Morocco sounds like a quarter-final or semi-final in terms of tension, and the match between Brazil and Japan is definitely worth the quarter-final of any tournament because of the quality of both teams," said the expert. The coach emphasized that the difference between the teams in this tournament is minimal: "What this shows me. Canada won in stoppage time against South Africa, Morocco equalized in extra time and then took it to the end. Germany went to the penalty shootout. I think it can calm us down in a way. These are intense football matches and it helps us not to expect too much and correctly evaluate what is happening in this World Cup," the specialist emphasized. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently ranked 46th in the FIFA rankings (predicted to rise five places), while England are in 4th place. Despite such a gulf in class, Tuchel warns against underestimating the opponent, especially given the difficult path of the English in the group stage (a draw with Ghana and a difficult victory over Panama). "The teams are well trained, the teams defend at the highest level, the teams are well prepared. It is difficult for any team to break them, especially when you come as a favorite and face opponents with nothing to lose. Our opponent will play the role of an outsider, which is always easier," said the coach. Tuchel stressed that his wards should go out on the field with cool heads and not pay attention to the paper: "We accept it and we know how to deal with it. Nothing changes for us. We will have a humble approach where we focus on ourselves. It doesn't matter what the FIFA rating shows tomorrow or what they think the game should be. We will answer the question that the game asks while it is going on. For that we need freedom, the right attitude, we need to be calm and ready to fight. I think we will do it," Tuchel summed up.