Thames: Tuchel lets players take biological pills to detect players status in extreme heat
To better understand the players' physical condition, Tuchel asked the players of the England national team to swallow biometric pills to monitor their temperature in extreme high temperatures, according to the Times.
Earlier this week, a series of tests were conducted at a training camp near Girona, Spain, to see how England could deal with the possible heat during next year's World Cup.
According to the Times on Monday, the FA's performance team has set up special high-temperature and high-humidity tents next to the training ground. Within these tents, players were monitored for their reactions as temperatures soared.
One of the tests required each player to ride a fitness bike and pedal until exhausted after taking a special pill containing digital technology. After getting off the car, the FA's sports scientists can remotely scan the pills to get the specifics of the player's temperature and how quickly they can cool down. "It's very difficult, the temperature in the tent reaches 35 and 36 degrees Celsius, and we have to maintain a certain power output on the bike for 45 minutes." Tuchel expressed concerns about local weather conditions during the World Cup. The average daily temperatures of the two competition venues in Dallas and Monterrey were 35 degrees Celsius and 34.4 degrees Celsius respectively in early July, while the average temperatures of the other six venues were over 30 degrees Celsius. When the 1994 World Cup was held in the United States, the temperatures often exceeded 37 degrees Celsius during the game. Tuchel said the "suffering" of the 2026 World Cup will be one of the main topics, and he is determined to reduce the impact.
These tests are designed to recognize that everyone responds differently to high temperatures and develop personalized plans to help players cope. Eze also described the hardship of the experience, saying it was his first test like this: "You have to ride on the bike for about 45 minutes, and they monitor your heart rate and actual body temperature to better understand the situation."
"Of course, it's hard, 45 minutes on the bike is a long time, but it's very helpful and it gives you a better understanding of how you deal with it in that situation."
Eze also reviewed his personal performance at the end of the season, where he scored his first goal for England in March against Latvia, which gave him a lot of confidence, thus keeping goals and assists in the subsequent games, eventually scoring a winning goal for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
This has earned Crystal Palace the first major trophy in club history and qualified to participate in the UEFA Cup. However, this qualification is now questionable due to UEFA's regulations on multi-club ownership.
John Texter, who owns about 45% of Crystal Palace and also owns 90% of Lyon, is trying to sell his shares in Crystal Palace to ensure that Crystal Palace is not banned from European competitions.
Eze said: "I don't know much about this, but I really hope it's not true. I hope Crystal Palace will get the rewards it deserves because it took a lot of effort to win this trophy. If it's really banned, it would be a huge regret, but I believe things will be solved in the end."