Jordan Pickford: England Ready to Go to War for Tuchel
Jordan Pickford says England are ready to “go to war” for Thomas Tuchel. It is not a throwaway line. It is a snapshot of a squad that believes this World Cup might finally be theirs.
England arrive in the last 32 after taking control of Group L, a steady 2-0 win over Panama in New Jersey sealing top spot and clearing at least one layer of early jeopardy. The stakes rise sharply from here. DR Congo await next, a dangerous, unheralded opponent who slipped through as one of the best third-placed sides after beating Uzbekistan on Saturday.
Pickford has lived this story before. A veteran of back-to-back European Championship finals under Sir Gareth Southgate, he has felt the weight of a nation and the sting of near-misses. He has also, crucially, seen enough to remain convinced that this group can cross the line.
Asked by BBC Sport what feels different this time, the Everton goalkeeper did not reach for tactics or formations. He went straight to the core.
“Belief, togetherness,” he said. Those words have been used around England squads for years, but Pickford insists Tuchel has turned them from slogans into something sharper. “I think we have had that previously, but I think the manager’s got that belief in us.”
Tuchel’s influence runs through every answer. Pickford describes team meetings that feel less like chalkboard sessions and more like call-to-arms briefings.
“The meetings the manager has with us, it is like you are ready to go to war,” he said. “He puts that belief in you. There is different meetings he has tactically, and it is like ‘yeah, it is go time’.”
That word – “go” – suits this squad. Many of them are in the peak years of their careers, hardened by domestic and European campaigns, yet still young enough to run, press and chase a dream for 90 minutes and beyond. Pickford knows it.
“We all want the same goal, we all want that end goal and this squad he has picked, we are all in good spirits and all in good moments in our career.”
For all the talk of collective spirit, Pickford has been doing his own quiet work in the background. He continues to see a psychologist, a routine now embedded in his preparation. It is not about fixing a flaw; it is about sharpening a strength.
Speaking to ITV Sport, he framed it as a personal project rather than a short-term tweak. “(It is) a lot of growth I am working on and being the best version of myself. We have got targets, who I am working with, and it is about being the best version of me and where that can take me. We know the journey it can take me on, and believing in that, and being me.”
This is the version of Pickford England will need if the margins tighten. His record in shootouts and high-pressure moments is one of the pillars of this era. Everyone knows penalties may lurk at some point in the knockouts. He does too. He just has no interest in aiming for them.
“We want to win the game in 90 minutes,” he told ITV. The message was clear: England intend to impose themselves, not drift into a lottery. “But we will be ready as a team, as a group, as England to do what it takes to get the victory.”
If it does stretch into extra time or spot-kicks, Pickford sees strength, not risk. “If it goes to penalties, extra-time, we have got the ability, we have got the lads to come off the bench, our togetherness is a high level and that is what we are here to do.”
DR Congo will not come quietly. They carry the edge and emotion that has driven a strong African showing at this tournament, and Pickford made a point of recognising that.
“We are here to do the job. We know Congo is a tough nation, we know how many teams in Africa have qualified for the next round of games. They are a proud nation, and we have got to be ready for what they bring – but it is also about what we bring as a group, and we will be right after them.”
That last line lands like a promise. England talk of belief, of unity, of going to war for their manager. DR Congo stand in their way. Now comes the only measure that matters: can this generation finally turn all that conviction into a trophy run that outlives the words?
