Tuchel 'worried and concerned' after seeing photo of relaid Raymond James pitch

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he felt "a little bit worried and concerned" after seeing a journalist's photograph of the playing surface ahead of the warm-up friendly with New Zealand. The pitch at Raymond James Stadium had been relaid with grass just a week earlier as a temporary 'plug and play' surface at a venue that usually has artificial turf, and travelling FA ground staff liaised with stadium organisers after images showed the turf to be slightly disjointed in parts.

Tuchel made clear he wants to inspect the stadium in person before changing his tactical schedule. "I saw a photo from a journalist which made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let's decide when we are there," he said, adding that the plan is to play 45 minutes with two complete teams to give everyone the same amount of minutes, then continue for the next three days with the same load of training.

thomas tuchel, england, raymond james, relaid pitch, playing surface, turf, warm-up friendly, new zealand, ground staff, stadium organisers