By the time he finally gets to the Azteca dressing room on Sunday, surrounded by that sense of history, Thomas Tuchel might have to come up with something different for the present moment. Because, over the course of this entertainingly chaotic World Cup, there’s been a message he’s often felt he’s had to repeat to the players.That is basically that, if they are just “the best version of ourselves”, they’ll be fine.He notes: “We don’t need anything extra in these stages, but just trust and belief in ourselves.”In other words, if everything goes as normal, England are better than most opposition.Except, for this huge last-16 match against co-hosts Mexico, almost nothing is normal.That goes beyond the many issues in the England team, most notably the right side.It even applies to the kick-off time.The Azteca Stadium will host Mexico v England in the last 16 (Reuters)Friday’s tortuous confusion over whether it would even take place at 6pm local time was just the latest layer of complication and mayhem ahead of this match, briefly making Tuchel and his staff reconsider a lot of interlinked logistics – right up to the genuinely important issue of when players should sleep.Those plans were already even more complex due to the much-discussed considerations of trying to adapt to altitude, and just what an advantage it is to Mexico.That very setting only adds to the stakes of the game, since it takes place at a stadium that has witnessed more history than any in the game. Those who have played at the Azteca willingly talk of how that charges your performance. You’re on the same pitch where Diego Maradona and Pele reached mythic peaks, where so many games and goals went to heights of theatre that no other arena has seen.That’s altitude of another kind.Thomas Tuchel knows the altitude will be a factor against Mexico (PA Wire)It, of course, has more emotional depth for England, too, since they were subject to the unfairness of its most infamous moment: the “Hand of God”.Tuchel had actually been keen to play up the spiritual aspects of all this, willingly speaking of potential karmic retribution, and of course describing the fixture as “beautiful”. “It’s an iconic match to play against Mexico in Mexico,” he added.If it still retains that beauty, Tuchel might have another description for it: stressful. England expected disruption, but not like this.And yet that stress can also work the other way.England at training before taking on Mexico at the Azteca Stadium (Getty)Because, as Tuchel also said this week, this match “will be against the whole country, the energy of the whole country in their stadium”.You can feel that before you even get to the Azteca. On touching down at Benito Juarez International Airport, flight attendants are seeing passengers off with shouts of “Viva Mexico!” Border guards are willingly talking to arrivals about the match, and their nerves.It’s everywhere, even in areas it’s not necessarily intended to be.As you come out of arrivals, there’s a huge piece of Mexican embroidery, featuring depictions of legendary creatures in a circle above the words: “Football comes home.”That isn’t a reference to England but to the fact that the Aztecs played their own form of the game, and it adds to the drama.The Mexico City stadium brings an aura with immense history from past World Cups (Getty)This is the game that all of Mexico wanted. They were saying it after beating Ecuador 2-0. They were saying it when the Democratic Republic of Congo were beating England 1-0.Part of it is an old world/new world tension and what the histories of both countries represent. Part of it is just the sense of football history.This is the last World Cup game at the Azteca for this tournament, and it’s not known when there’ll be another.Mexico wants a suitable send-off. They feel ready for it. Momentum has grown.If England have almost become less convincing with every match, Mexican belief has only got stronger. The team has proven much better than the country feared beforehand.A number of players have stepped up, such as Erik Lira, Luis Romo, the revelation, Gilberto Mora, and, of course, Julian Quinones. That confidence, however, still has a fragility.Mexico have grown in confidence, unlike England, whose performances have gradually got worse (Getty)If England have a complex about only ever winning one international tournament, Mexico have a complex over an even greater failure. They are the biggest football country to have never got beyond the World Cup quarter-finals. An obsession during the past few days has been over “match five”, and they’ve finally got there again for the first time since 1986. Except, this isn’t the quarter-final. It’s still the last 16.That insecurity could arguably be divined in the wild scenes of celebration after the win over Ecuador, which descended into public order chaos and four deaths.The feeling that persists is of a football culture that actually wants this too much, that has too much nervous energy. Elements of that are reminiscent of another recent World Cup host, and the atmosphere around Brazil just before the 7-1 defeat to Germany.Hence England’s need to stay calm, to remind themselves of their superior individual quality, and actually be inspired by this stadium; to play up to its history. Except, the very setting ensures that isn’t so easy.As much as the controversy over altitude at this point sounds like an excuse, it is a real issue. England have made certain preparations, but they can only do so much, and it’s not that much at all.Mexico fans watch on a big screen during the last-32 clash with Ecuador (Getty)All of the science illustrates that the debate about when to go is actually futile. You face altitude issues the second you arrive. Tuchel himself has admitted “my understanding is we cannot adapt to the altitude… there’s not enough time”.The recommendation is that 10 days are required, but the very course of this World Cup made that impossible.And that’s where there is a genuine issue of unfairness here. This isn’t normal home advantage, like having the crowd support or knowing the surroundings, the kinds of challenges that players are well used to.It is an actual physiological difference, which you can’t really do anything about since you are necessarily just dropping in to Mexico City.The lower barometric pressure at 2,240 metres above sea level means less oxygen gets to your blood vessels, affecting performance and increasing fatigue. England are going to have to work harder to do what usually – yes – comes normally.Tuchel is going to have to build his approach around that. The suggestions so far are that it isn’t going to affect team selection. Declan Rice is not going to play right-back. There’s some hope Bukayo Saka can come in.Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Marc Guehi of England recover during training (Getty)Whatever team Tuchel picks, though, England are going to have to be more constrained. They simply won’t be able to play with the same intensity. You can probably forget football that people in the pub enjoy here, even if it is 1am, because the conditions are unlikely to allow that.And yet, as Tuchel might have to say, you just have to deal with it. There’s still a huge game here, of the kind that feels part of a past football lore. That is to be enjoyed, even in difficult conditions.England at the Azteca against Mexico in the World Cup. Even repeating those basic details conjures certain emotions about what football in this competition is supposed to be.This isn’t a normal game, sure, but it’s still so special.