[Saba Sports News] Recently, England manager Thomas Tuchel stated that fans should not overinterpret the World Cup squad numbers, with just “one or two exceptions”. As Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon are competing for the starting spot on the left flank, fans quickly noticed that Rashford was handed the iconic No.11 jersey, while Gordon got the No.18. On this, the England head coach said: “I wasn’t heavily involved in assigning the numbers, far less than you might think. A list was sent to me, and I voiced my opinions on just one or two numbers, which we then adjusted. The players have their own preferences over their squad numbers. They want to keep the numbers they wore in previous tournaments, as well as their club jersey numbers. There are various factors at play here. The era when numbers 1 through 11 carried fixed meanings is long gone.”
The editor believes that I was also a big fan of that era, but those days are gone. Tuchel did not entirely dismiss the idea that jersey numbers can reflect his tactical plans, and admitted he made a few adjustments personally.