As the England players trained under the searing heat of the Kansas City sun on Saturday, manager Thomas Tuchel took a very different approach to keeping himself cool. In stark contrast to Declan Rice and the rest of the team, who were wearing vest tops, Tuchel was pictured wearing a cap and a hoodie. It turns out that special sun protection hoodies are being used by the Three Lions to deal with the hot conditions at their training base at Swope Soccer Village, Missouri. Descriptions of similar tops found online say they filter "harsh UV rays to protect your skin from the sun" and keep skin "cool and dry". England assistants Anthony Barry, Nicolas Mayer and Justin Cochrane were also wearing the sun protection technology during the latest session.
The England players are also using high-tech palm-cooling devices in the USA, with studies showing that at least a third of the games during the World Cup will be played in temperatures higher than 26C. Some players are also using cooling vests. Tuchel led the session in front of local baseball sides Kansas City Royals and St Louis Cardinals, who had been in action on Friday night. The FA carried out extensive research into the weather conditions, and Tuchel was part of a delegation that went to the Club World Cup in the country last summer to prepare.
“Thomas Tuchel sticks with John Stones despite defensive wobbles as England staff use cooling hoodies in Kansas City heat.”
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka was the only player missing from the pitch as the Arsenal winger followed an individual programme indoors managing an Achilles issue. Tuchel has said Saka is unlikely to start until the final Group L game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday, 27 June.
But defensive concerns are looming. England were brilliant going forward against Croatia in their Group opener but shipped two goals, raising major doubts about the back four. Tuchel is determined to stick with John Stones, the 32-year-old defender who was a big selection on Tuchel's part for experience and quality over recent form. Incredibly, Stones only made five Premier League starts for Manchester City last season, and even admitted he began to question Pep Guardiola. He is now a free agent as his City contract expired. Stones looked rusty alongside Ezri Konsa, nerves spreading to full-backs Reece James and Nico O'Reilly. Even keeper Jordan Pickford had a very public shouting match with Tuchel on the pitch. However, Tuchel's message remains: Stones is his main man, essential to England's plan of playing out from the back in a Premier League fashion. Tuchel wants England to play with the handbrake off, and at the heart of that is England's best ball-playing centre-half, John Stones.