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EnglandIn the run-up to the World Cup, cutting-edge neuroscience is being adopted and players are wearing shoes designed to improve their focus.
As the team aims to capture glory in North America after narrowly missing out on the last two European Championships, no detail has been overlooked.
The national team has a history of adopting innovative performance aids, and some players are now testing shoes that Nike claims “engage sensory areas of your brain through thousands of mechanoreceptors underfoot”.
guard Azeri Konsa ‘Mind’ is one of those testing the range, notably appearing in a distinctive mule version during media duties ahead of Thursday’s qualifier against Serbia.
England boss Tuchel said of the shoes: “He told me he could concentrate better in meetings if he wore these shoes and I hope he believes it.
“Probably the most important thing is that they believe in it. I don’t know the science behind it.
“They’re desperate to tell me, but I haven’t had time to pay attention. But all the players are wearing them.”
Asked if he believed in the power of positive thought, the German coach said: “Yes, 100 percent. As long as everyone believes in it.”
Tuchel says he will be testing the new boots himself around the camp, saying he is “always happy to try stuff”.
Among the tools the England boss has used to help him on and off the field is meditation, which he started long before joining Chelsea.
“I would encourage everyone to try to do it,” Tuchel said. “I believe it works. Even if you don’t believe it works, you don’t have to do it. That’s the nice thing about meditation.
“We have Suzanne (Scott) in camp who does brilliant breathing sessions. She does a lot more than that, but she does that and the players benefit from it. They feel relieved. There are lots of ways to go about it.
“I did it with the whole team at Dortmund. It was a good experience. But football became more personal.
“Players have their support systems. A lot of them invest in meditation and breathwork and pilates and visualization and yoga.”
Tuchel considers meditation beneficial when working in such a high-pressure environment, and laughingly says that “everything about football” makes him stressed.
“It helps me calm down, focus and stay alert,” he said. “I don’t know how you feel the impact of it. It’s not like you do it and it’s immediately ‘Oh wow.’
“It’s an ongoing thing. The more you do it the more effect you’ll feel but it’s subtle.”