BARCELONA: England go into their World Cup qualifier against Andorra as heavy favorites but the players will find it challenging to find the energy to attack relentlessly after a long and gruelling season, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday.

England are top of Group K after two games with a perfect record while Andorra are bottom with two losses ahead of Saturday’s game in Barcelona.

Tuchel said England are fully committed to the qualifier where he wants “a win that is never in danger” but also said fans should not “over-expect” them to go all guns blazing right from the start of the game.

“It will be on us to get going, it is on us to keep the tempo high, to bring the attacking energy to the pitch and to do this in a relentless way,” Tuchel told reporters.

“I can fully understand that this is not the easiest time of the season for an international break. The players come from a long and tiring season and then again accepting the role to be responsible for the majority of the game can be demanding.

“But at the same time, what I feel from the group is that they are happy to be here. We are quite new together, it is our second camp and I have trust and belief that we will do what is necessary to get the result that we want.”

Tuchel said England have embraced the tag as huge favorites, promising an attacking lineup that will dominate possession while he is not looking to experiment by using this match as an audition for new players.

“The focus will be on the attacking patterns, on our hunger for and the reaction after ball losses, for the counter-pressing,” he added.

“These will be the main topics for tomorrow and this will then guide and demand the tactics.

“My thoughts are not so much whom can we see and what do we try. It’s more about the game plan since two days and who trains well... After a long season, putting players together from which we feel they have a connection and then they can show.”

Tuchel has also done his homework on Andorra, describing the European minnows as a well-drilled and well-organized side in a 5-4-1 formation.

“They don’t allow a huge amount of big chances,” the German coach said.

“So we need a mix between being patient and at the same time speed the game up, bring the speed to the game and try to never lose the focus.”

ABIDJAN: Terrorists have intensified their offensives in the Sahel region in recent weeks, carrying out bloody raids in Mali, incursions into major cities in Burkina Faso and inflicting heavy army losses in Niger.
The three Sahel states’ military juntas, who had pledged during the coups that brought them to power to make security a priority, are struggling to contain the advance of extremists, who are threatening more than ever neighboring countries on the west African coast.
The last few weeks have been particularly deadly in the Sahel.
Several hundred soldiers have been killed in various attacks.
“The global vision of regional terrorism is changing. There is an ideological aspect, but also an ethnic one,” said Lassina Diarra of the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast.
“Extremist leaders declared in March their intent to intensify attacks against national armies to prevent a genocide against the Fulani community.”
Military violence targeting civilians — particularly the Fulani, often singled out in the Sahel region and accused of feeding the extremists’ ranks — “has exacerbated grievances and played into extremists’ narratives,” said the Soufan Center think tank in a brief.
It also highlighted “a broader strategy to degrade public confidence in state forces, boost recruitment.”
“There is also a question of competition for territory,” Diarra added.
The capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso “are surrounded,” said Diarra.
For Gilles Yabi, founder of the West African think tank Wathi, it is important to remain cautious of “catastrophic” predictions.
The extremists’ “main advantage is their mobility and ability to move and blend with populations,” he said.
“In Burkina Faso, we cannot rule out a Somalia-like scenario, with a capital that resists while the rest of the country is out of control,” said a Western military source.
The juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023 and are now united in a confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States.