Thomas Tuchel chose England squad of ‘specialists’ rather than individual talent
By Press Association Sport Reporters
England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he prioritised picking a team of “specialists” over individual talent after leaving a host of star names out of his World Cup squad.
Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold were headline omissions from the 26-man selection announced on Friday morning at Wembley.
Harry Maguire, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White and Luke Shaw will also watch this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico from home.
Tuchel openly acknowledged he had overlooked some of the country’s most gifted players as he seeks to build a team-first mentality and, ultimately, end England’s 60-year wait for World Cup glory.
“From day one we were very clear that we were trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players,” he said.
“Teams win championships, it’s as simple as that. What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team. With that in mind, we chose a very balanced squad.
“I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26 100 per cent committed players in camp with us who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch, and who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.”
Ollie Watkins and, most surprisingly, Ivan Toney earned recalls to provide back-up for captain Harry Kane but it was the absentees which provided the biggest talking points.
Amid fierce competition, creative duo Foden and Palmer paid the price for below-par club campaigns with Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
Real Madrid right-back Alexander-Arnold was another bold omission, albeit a more predictable one having not won a cap since last summer.
In trimming his preliminary 55-man squad, Tuchel largely kept faith with the players who helped England qualify.
“We have specialists with us,” said the German coach. “Specialists for all kinds of different scenarios: when we’re leading, when we’re chasing a game.
“We always said we want to be a strong set-piece team so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that.
“And, last and for sure not least, we have a decent leadership in camp. The leadership took care and ownership in a very special way from September onwards.
“They created a culture, they set the tone, they set the standards, created and took care of the standards and we were very happy with that.
“That is why, the majority of this team, and the majority of this selection is from the players who were with us in September, October and November.”
Tino Livramento has been selected despite missing the past month with a thigh issue, while similarly versatile full-back Djed Spence has been included despite reportedly breaking his jaw on Tuesday.
Uncapped trio Rio Ngumoha, Alex Scott and Josh King – plus one unnamed player – will travel with the squad and train ahead of warm-up friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida.
Jason Steele will go to the tournament as a training goalkeeper.
England kick off Group L against Croatia in Dallas on June 17th, before playing Ghana on June 23rd and Panama on June 27th.
“I’m very confident in the group that we chose,” said Tuchel.
“(There were some) very difficult decisions, painful conversations, difficult to explain to the players, but what we’re trying to achieve, we achieve as a team, and we try nominate a balanced squad.
“If everyone is selected, it was a given that from these 55 players we have to leave some extraordinary talents, some extraordinary personalities at home.
“If we would have picked all these names, some other big five names would have been out and we would talk about these names. That comes with the job. I like these kind of decisions.”
