England are finally out of what they have been calling the “grind” part of the World Cup.

That was the name given internally to the last week, an intense period which saw them having to fly from Kansas City to Atlanta to face the Democratic Republic of Congo; fly back; spend two nights back in Kansas City; and then fly to Mexico City to take on the co-hosts in the game of their lives.

The internal approach for managing the longest World Cup that has ever been staged has been to break the tournament down into blocks. And this block — the last 32 and last 16 games — was seen as perhaps the most physically tiring given the short turnarounds and the travel involved.

By the time England landed back in Kansas City on Monday morning, they were tired but satisfied in having completed this phase of their mission, with a place in the quarter-finals. And their focus immediately shifted to how to recover from their exertions in the Estadio Azteca. 

This week will be quieter. England do not play Norway until Saturday, meaning they have four days back in Kansas City before they have to depart for Miami.

Monday was designated as a recovery day for players, which allowed the squad to get over the huge physical effort made after playing on Sunday night. The players looked utterly exhausted by the end of the Mexico game, many collapsing onto the pitch at the end, drained by the work they had put in to get England over the line. They had played around 45 minutes with 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s sending-off and were also having to deal with the challenge of playing at altitude.  

All tournament England have been talking about “pounding the rock”, the importance of keeping going, working away to keep trying to create chances, knowing that with enough patient persistence the rewards will come. England did not break down Panama until 62 minutes were gone. They did not score against DR Congo until 75. After that game, Kane used that “pounding the rock” phrase, but after defending deep and resolutely through the second half in Mexico, there was a twist: Tuchel told the players that this time they had been the rock.

The FA always knew that this World Cup would hinge on their recovery strategy, especially given the demands of playing eight games across 33 days and the travel requirements — which they did not experience in Qatar — of playing across multiple countries and timezones.

The recovery strategy has in part been built on an extensive monitoring regime for the players. The players’ loads have been carefully monitored through the season, and once they arrived in the U.S. The FA organised informal friendlies prior to the tournament against Miami FC and Sporting Kansas City to make sure that non-starters were getting extra game time.

Every morning when the players walk downstairs in the England team hotel, they weigh themselves and enter the result onto an iPad. (Monitoring is a big part of being in camp, with the players all wearing Whoop watches and subjected to sweat tests by staff.) There is also a screen that tells them what they should be eating that day, including how many portions of protein and carbohydrates they need.

On a recovery day — the day after a game — that will be accompanied by information about their energy expenditure from the game, their total distance covered, their distances of high-speed runs and sprints. The emphasis is on re-energising their body so that they can go again, with recommendations to have turmeric and ginger to manage exercise-induced inflammation, and omega-3 fish oil.

England have bikes set up by the side of their training pitch (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

After Monday’s recovery day, the players were given Tuesday off entirely (generally two days after a game is the day when players are the most fatigued). The intense schedule in recent weeks — they played four games in 13 days — meant that time off was limited. The day and a half off that they enjoyed after the Croatia game on June 17 must feel a long time away now.

But the players were free on Tuesday to see their families, play golf, explore Kansas City or just relax at the hotel. England’s base in a peaceful suburb — with a padel court nearby — offers plenty of options.

Many players appreciate the sense of quiet and calm out here. Declan Rice explained last week how much he has enjoyed it, and the sense of anonymity. “When I am in Kansas, it’s the peaceful side of it that’s really, really nice,” he said. “Just being able to walk around and enjoy my time off. We’ve been really enjoying it.” Rice is now hugely famous in London, but he appreciates the fact he can walk around freely, in a way that is no longer as possible at home.

The hope is that when England resume training on Wednesday, and start their planning for Norway, the players will be as recharged as they can be, physically and mentally. Now comes the next block of the tournament.