England boss Thomas Tuchel rejects calls to rest players during Nations League run

England manager Thomas Tuchel has dismissed suggestions that players should be rested during the team’s demanding Nations League schedule, describing the idea as “madness”.

England are due to play four matches during the extended international window, having already lost to World Cup champions Spain on Saturday.

Tuchel’s side travel to face the Czech Republic on Tuesday before visiting Croatia on Saturday. They then host the Czech Republic on October 6.

The congested programme has prompted calls for some players to be given a break, particularly those who had limited time off during the summer because of the World Cup.

However, Tuchel said neither players nor their clubs should be able to decide which matches they play in.

“I don’t take calls from Premier League managers. I never called any national team coach [when he was in club football],” he told reporters.

“I cannot manage [the minutes of] the players. It’s just impossible. Why would I do this and start giving the players the impression that it’s OK to take a step back or share a half or to rest one match? I would never. It’s madness.”

Tuchel said England’s priority was to respond to the defeat by Spain by trying to win their next match, rather than managing the workload of individual players.

“We want to win the next match. An ideal scenario would be to go again and go again and go again. With six or seven players minimum that start again – to put the responsibility on them and for them to feel the trust,” he said.

The England manager also indicated that he expects his team to approach Tuesday’s match at the Fortuna Arena in Prague with the same intensity, despite the demanding sequence of fixtures.

“We need to be proactive,” Tuchel said.

“There is no room for managing [the players] or an economic style. It’s how the team want to play, how we want to play, so let’s go.”