Thomas Tuchel takes swipe at Arsenal boss Arteta as he risks club vs country row by vowing not to rest England stars
THOMAS TUCHEL will show no mercy to Prem bosses by refusing to rest England stars.
And that is because the Three Lions chief says his club counterparts do not care about international managers.
Tuchel will resist the temptation to make sweeping changes for tonight’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley.
He insists his coaches will not ‘break our heads’ worrying about rotation — pointing out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta did not rest Declan Rice for a Champions League tie with PSV Eindhoven.
The German said: “Given the fact Declan Rice played in the second leg with Arsenal after a 7-1 first-leg lead, I didn’t have the feeling they think so much about us.
“So I don’t think we have to break our heads about this.
“I take care of the players. We take care about the schedule. But it would be the wrong signal to tell players now ‘you have tough (club) matches coming up, so I rest you now’.
“We have a qualifier to play, we do what’s good for us. We are in contact with the clubs, we are in high-level monitoring where the fitness statuses are known and we won’t take any unprofessional risks.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had ‘never been so angry’ as when John Stones returned injured after Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate started the defender in two England friendlies in four days last year.
But Tuchel claims he never asked players to skip internationals while manager of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, where he managed Harry Kane.
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He said: “This window is at a time where clubs play a crucial part of the season.
“They play for championships and quarter-finals in the Champions League. We’re well aware of it but we also have our own goals and targets. The players are keen to play and it has to be like this.
“I never pushed any national coach because I hoped my players did get picked, I was also hoping they are proud to play.
“You’re never happy if something happens. No one can predict there is no accident, but we’ll take responsible decisions.
“I feel responsible for the players. I want the players to play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League — all of them — because I want to watch it.”
A hip injury has forced Anthony Gordon to return to Newcastle for treatment.
The winger, 24, limped off down the tunnel after Friday’s 2-0 win over Albania.