England will be ‘underdogs’ at World Cup – Thomas Tuchel

He was given an 18-month contract with the main aim of leading England to World Cup glory.

“If you’ve never won Wimbledon, you might be one of the favourites, but you’re not a favourite,” Tuchel said.

“You can go, if you get close, okay, you’re in the pool, but you’re not the favorite. That’s the way it is.

“There’s Brazil, there’s Argentina, there’s Spain, there’s France, and they did it recently.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have a chance and we know that very well. First we will qualify and then we will know exactly why we are going there.”

Tuchel will have his final opportunity to look at his options during England’s friendly against Wales on Thursday, followed by a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on October 14.

However, the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager excluded Gareth Southgate management regulars Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his final squad, while Reece James also left the team due to injury.

Talisman Harry Kane will not be able to play in the friendly match against Wales due to a foot problem, but he is expected to return against Latvia.

Former boss Southgate has built a close-knit squad during his tenure – former captain Steven Gerrard said that was not the case when he was in the ‘Golden Generation’ – and Tuchel wants to ensure the spirit continues.

“Let’s move forward step by step and that only buys the next step. We are building a team that is ready to move forward step by step and play as a team and no one hopes to play against us,” Tuchel said.

“When I hear people talk about international football titles or missed chances, I always hear the same song: We did or we didn’t make the team. In international football it’s always the same song.

“I think it’s the same headline in club football, but even more so if you stay together 24/7 for a nine-day period and then in America you need to be a group for as long as possible, you need to be a strong group.”