Why are England playing Andorra at Villa Park and not Wembley | Football
England will face Andorra in their World Cup qualifier against Andorra on Saturday evening at Villa Park with Wembley unavailable.
The Three Lions have made a flawless start to their campaign to reachnext summer’s tournament being held in America, Canada and Mexico.
Victories over tonight’s opponents as well as Albania and Latvia have put Thomas Tuchel’s side in a commanding position ahead of what is expected to be a routine victory.
A change of arena was, however required for the fifth match of Tuchel’s reign with the England’s traditional venue booked up with the stadium playing host to the latest leg of Coldplay’s world tour.
The Chris Martin-led ban are coming towards the end of a 10-gig stretch at Wembley which forced the Football Association to select an alternative venue.
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Villa Park, based in the Midlands and boasting a capacity of 42,000, was chosen earlier this year, much to the delight of Tuchel.
‘We are excited to play at Villa Park, another stadium full of history,’ said Tuchel.
Real Quick Tho: Has Thomas Tuchel Already Lost the England Fans?
The return of international football feels an appropriate time to hold my hands up and confess it looks like I got it wrong with Thomas Tuchel.
At the time of his controversial appointment as Gareth Southgate’s successor I saw no issue with hiring seasoned winner to replace England’s ultimate nearly-man.
It was obvious, even to his staunchest supporters, that his nationality would prove the easiest and most convenient stick with which to beat him at the first sign of trouble, and so it has proved.
Really, however, Tuchel’s critics would garner far more credit by focusing on the mounting dossier of evidence on the pitch, as well as his increasingly bizarre squad selections, rather than using his birth certificate as some sort of smoking gun.
Thus far, Tuchel has presided over three hugely uninspiring victories, including a pure 1-0 stodgefest away from home against Saturday’s opponents Andorra, as well as a chaotic 3-1 defeat against a rampant Senegal back in June.
The hope must be that once England have navigated the road to the World Cup, as they surely will regardless of any teething troubles, that Tuchel’s big game experience will come into its own.
We’ll likely learn little over the course of the next week about the direction this England side are headed given the level of opposition.
The sight of Jordan Henderson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, two players who surely should have served their purpose as England players four years ago, teaming up in midfield will do little to inspire confidence and subdue the growing anti-Tuchel sentiment.
‘I know from my own visits to the stadium this season that it is capable of creating an outstanding atmosphere and is located close to St. George’s Park, which is a positive for our preparation.
‘We hope to be able to generate another special atmosphere and create a memorable occasion for all fans.’
England last played at the home of Aston Villa back in 2005 when they played out a 0-0 draw against Netherlands.
Tuchel will be hoping for a better result this evening but he will have to make do without John Stones after the Manchester City defender left the squad following an injury setback.
The 31-year-old has not added to his 83 caps since last October, with injury ruling home out of the manager’s first two squads after taking over at the start of the year.
Stones was selected for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, only for a muscular problem to bring his camp to a premature end.
‘Unfortunately, John Stones just left,’ Tuchel revealed on the eve of the Group K clash with Andorra at Villa Park.
‘He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would.’
Tuchel said “we will not take the risk” with the experienced defender, who spent part of June’s camp with the England squad as he did rehabilitation from a thigh injury.
‘I think he would have maybe started as a central defender in this match (against Andorra), but he was in contention for playing number six for us as well,’ Tuchel told talkSPORT.
‘When we need maybe a more physical six, and more a six that is like John, more educated as a central defender, so to stay deep and create a block of three with a central defender.
‘So, it was in our thoughts to maybe use him as a six against Serbia. But, listen, this is how it is. He’s very upset. He’s very upset because he does everything on a daily basis to be fit.
‘Now he has again minor issues. It will cost him two caps for the national team. It will maybe cost him some minutes for Manchester City.
‘So, he is very, very disappointed and upset. He was a big part of camp so far.
‘But, yeah, it is what it is. We have to adapt. We have to find solutions. We will have a strong team tomorrow and we will come up with solutions without John.’
MORE: England’s biggest weakness identified ahead of Andorra and Serbia World Cup qualifiers
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Why are England playing Andorra at Villa Park and not Wembley | Football
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