Thomas Tuchel still remembers the night the Kop ‘sucked the ball into the goal’. Now, as England prepare to face Mexico in the Azteca Stadium, he is drawing on that 2016 Europa League trauma to steel his players for the most hostile atmosphere of their World Cup.
‘I clearly remember moments in games where you feel like, okay, the stadium is on you,’ Tuchel said. ‘I had the experience in Liverpool … it was just like the Kop just sucked the balls into the goal. We were clearly through and we conceded three late goals and it was just coming, you could just feel it.’
“Tuchel recalls 2016 Anfield loss as England face Mexico's hostile Azteca crowd in World Cup last-16.”
England’s last-16 tie against co-hosts Mexico is being played at the iconic Azteca, where the crowd could be as much as 80% Mexican fans – a stark contrast to the previous games in the United States, where around 75% of spectators had backed England. The altitude and atmosphere have been widely discussed, but former England captain Alan Shearer argues the players will not be fazed.
‘All the talk stops when they run out anyway, and if they play the game rather than the occasion then I think they will win,’ Shearer wrote for BBC Sport. ‘These are the kind of games and moments you train and work so hard for all your life.’
The reception England received at their hotel on Friday was noisy enough, and Ecuador were reportedly kept awake by car horns and fireworks before their last-32 tie. Shearer would not be surprised if England faced similar disruption: ‘I would not be surprised at all if we find out later that there was some disruption for England the night before their game too, from an alarm going off at their hotel or something similar.’
Tuchel acknowledged the challenge, saying his squad must adapt quickly. ‘We need to pick our moments better, where to press, when to press,’ he said. Mexico have lost only two competitive home games at the Azteca this century and have yet to concede a goal in their four World Cup matches, all played at altitude in Mexico City.
There was also confusion over the kick-off time, which Shearer called ‘a silly idea because of the way it would have impacted the thousands of fans flying in from all over the world’.
Team news suggests right‑back is a concern, with Reece James training alone while Jarell Quansah has hope of being fit. Tuchel faces several key selection calls for the daunting last-16 challenge.
Shearer, who will be co‑commentating with Guy Mowbray, offered a simple message to the players: ‘Embrace it and enjoy it – be positive and show us all what you can do.’
England’s first trip back to the Azteca since the 1986 World Cup quarter‑final defeat to Argentina is, as Shearer put it, ‘an amazing spectacle as well as a unique test’. And Tuchel, for his part, believes his squad will rise to it: ‘Every one of our players loves this and is fully aware it is an iconic moment. They will worship it and it will bring out the best in them I’m sure.’