Tuchel's Bizarre World Cup Regret: Not Eating the Grass

England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed a peculiar regret from England's recent World Cup campaign: not eating the grass at the Azteca stadium following their hard-fought victory over Mexico. England secured a 3-2 win against the co-hosts in the round of 16, despite playing with a man down.

Tuchel, speaking in the FA's upcoming film, 'Reflections: England's World Cup journey,' shared his feelings about the match. "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'. That was the feeling. That was the moment," he stated.

The German manager described the game as having "so much of what you could wish for." He highlighted a moment where a player, Jordan, fell and broke his arm, emphasizing the team's immediate and empathetic response. "Within a second, the players were there. Every single player was there stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan, not going anywhere, in full empathy. It was so special," Tuchel recalled.

Tuchel expressed optimism about leading the team into the upcoming home Euros tournament, believing the World Cup experience has positioned them better to achieve their first major trophy since 1966. "It feels like they are my players now, it's something to build on. I'm very excited. I think we got another step closer and I think we're there," he said.

England's next fixtures include four Nations League games, starting with a match against World Cup winners Spain on September 26. The squad for these games is set to be announced this Friday. England will also play Czechia twice and Croatia once during this international break.