Jordan Pickford declares England ready to go to war for Tuchel

Jordan Pickford says England are ready to “go to war” for Thomas Tuchel. The words are heavy, and he knows it. They are meant to be.

On the eve of a last‑32 World Cup tie with DR Congo, the England No 1 set the tone for a squad that believes this campaign is different, that this time the journey might finally end with a trophy rather than another hard‑luck story.

England arrive in the knockouts with momentum. They topped Group L after a controlled 2-0 win over Panama in New Jersey, a result that eased them through and kept the noise outside the camp at arm’s length. Inside it, Pickford insists, something has shifted.

A new edge under Tuchel

Pickford has lived almost every modern England near‑miss. Back‑to‑back European Championship finals under Sir Gareth Southgate. Penalty shootouts, pressure, the constant debate over whether this group truly has the mentality to win.

He has never doubted it. But when he talks about Tuchel, there is a different edge.

“Belief, togetherness,” he told BBC Sport, when asked what marks this tournament out from the others. England have had those qualities before, he admitted, but this time he feels the manager is amplifying them.

Tuchel’s meetings, Pickford says, do not feel like routine tactical briefings. They feel like a call to arms.

“The meetings the manager has with us, it is like you are ready to go to war. He puts that belief in you,” Pickford explained. Different sessions, different tactical details, the same conclusion: “Yeah, it is go time.”

That language matters in a dressing room. It tells you how players are receiving the message. It tells you how they view the man in charge.

This is not just about systems and structures. It is about a group convinced it is moving towards a single, shared destination.

“We all want the same goal, we all want that end goal,” Pickford said. “And this squad he has picked, we are all in good spirits and all in good moments in our career.”

The mind behind the gloves

Pickford’s own preparation goes beyond the training pitch. He continues to work closely with a psychologist, a process he believes sharpens his concentration and keeps him at his best when the margins tighten.

Speaking to ITV Sport, he framed it as a long-term project, not a quick fix.

“(It is) a lot of growth I am working on and being the best version of myself,” he said. Targets are set, progress is tracked, and the focus is on what that version of himself can unlock.

“We have got targets, who I am working with, and it is about being the best version of me and where that can take me. We know the journey it can take me on, and believing in that, and being me.”

For England, that “best version” of Pickford is not an abstract concept. It is penalty saves in decisive moments. It is calm distribution when the game frays. It is a voice that cuts through the noise in the biggest stadiums on the biggest nights.

Congo next – and no appetite for drama

The next test is DR Congo in the last 32, a tie that carries its own dangers. Congo came through as one of the best third‑placed sides after beating Uzbekistan on Saturday, and they will not arrive as tourists.

Pickford respects that. He also wants no part of turning this into a spectacle of endurance if it can be avoided.

“We want to win the game in 90 minutes,” he told ITV. The message is clear: England want to impose themselves early, not drift into a contest that hinges on nerves and spot-kicks.

But they have lived too much tournament football to be naïve. If the game stretches, if it grinds into extra‑time and beyond, Pickford insists England will not blink.

“We will [be] ready as a team, as a group, as England to do what it takes to get the victory,” he said. “If it goes to penalties, extra-time, we have got the ability, we have got the lads to come off the bench, our togetherness is a high level and that is what we are here to do.”

That depth, that sense of unity, is a recurring theme. England talk like a squad that expects every player, starter or substitute, to shape the outcome.

Respect for Congo, conviction in themselves

There is no attempt from Pickford to downplay Congo. He knows the threat, and he knows the wider context of African teams impressing at this tournament.

“We are here to do the job,” he said. “We know Congo is a tough nation, we know how many teams in Africa have qualified for the next round of games. They are a proud nation, and we have got to be ready for what they bring.”

The respect is genuine. So is the conviction.

“But it is also about what we bring as a group,” Pickford added, “and we will be right after them.”

England have not lifted a major trophy since 1966. Every generation since has carried that weight, some buckling under it, some coming agonisingly close. This group believes it has the talent, the coaching and the mentality to break that history.

Now comes the part that has so often undone them: the knockout grind, one game at a time, no safety net.

If they truly are ready to “go to war” for Tuchel, DR Congo will feel it first.