England are training in heated tents to replicate the harsh conditions the players will likely experience at next year’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad are currently in the Spanish city of Girona for a training camp ahead of a pair of post-season fixtures. They face Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday before meeting Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground on June 10.
The German manager is currently assessing how his players can cope with the hot and humid conditions, carrying out fitness tests inside tents on exercise bikes to see how they are fare in recovery.
The challenge of unforgiving heat will come sooner than others for some when those of the Chelsea and Manchester City contingent go off to the Club World Cup later this month, which is being held in the United States.
Tuchel will follow some of his players on the voyage across the Atlantic to observe how they cope at the Club World Cup, and says he expects them to “suffer” in the tournament’s conditions.
“It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon,” Tuchel said.
“I will see that. How it looks, and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink. What our options are.
“Let’s see because it is after the season, so it will be very similar. The actual experience is for the players, but I have done pre-season there in Orlando and I will be very surprised if we do not suffer. Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup.”
There are predictions of potentially extreme temperatures at next year’s World Cup. A study led by Brunel University found that 14 of the 16 host stadiums would top 28°C on a daily basis in June and July, with four likely to hit 32°C.
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Fifpro recommends that if the temperature reaches between 28°C and 32°C, cooling breaks should take place around the 30th and 75th minutes. It adds that if the temperature exceeds 32°C, training and matches should be rescheduled.
England are well on course to qualify for the World Cup and have won both their qualifiers under Tuchel, currently sitting pretty at the top of Group K.
