Manager Thomas Tuchel has sought to explain some of the eye-catching decisions revealed in England’s World Cup squad selection after some fans were left confused.
Big names such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were left out in favor of Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke, Jordan Henderson, Dan Byrne and Al Ahly striker Ivan Toney, while in-form players such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Lewis Hall, Adam Wharton and Harry Maguire may feel unlucky to miss out.
“I think it was clear from day one that we were trying to pick and build the best team possible, but that doesn’t necessarily mean picking and gathering the 26 most talented players,” Tuchel said.
“It’s very easy for a team to win a championship. What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team.
“Mainly, it’s about energy, connection and collectiveness. Everything I know about international football is about unity and chemistry.”
We dug into some of the key talking points and what Tuchel said about them, and used Machine Football to analyze the data that may have influenced his decision-making.
Maguire out, burn in
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire took to social media to share his anguish after being informed he had been left out of Tuchel’s 26-man squad in favor of Newcastle’s Dan Byrne.
The England manager revealed he was “surprised” by the defender’s post, but sympathized with Maguire’s hurt at being left out after a much-improved season at club level.
“I was a little surprised because we had a private conversation and he had the opportunity to express his feelings, but that’s fair enough, because I understand all the reasons why he was able to join the team,” Tuchel said.
“This was a decision for these 26 players, even if it was a personal disadvantage.”
Maguire vs. Dan Byrne is clearly not as simple as comparing direct performances (Image: Machine Football)
Maguire has outperformed Byrne on most measurable attributes this season, but Byrne’s versatility and tactical profile may be the main reason he took a seat on this plane.
Byrne was able to cover at left-back as well as left-back, and his role at Newcastle often focused on defending deep positions, using his large frame to win first contact and defending the box while playing in a compact defensive structure.
Perhaps the idea is to use Byrne as a closer in close games while using his aerial threat to match Maguire.
read more: World Cup glossary of buzzwords related to soccer tactics, data, and statistics
Shock Tony included
The biggest headline of Tuchel’s selection will be the appointment of Ivan Toney, a player who played just seven minutes during the German manager’s time in charge of England.
Toney’s quality at Brentford was never in doubt, but the 30-year-old has spent the past two seasons as a mainstay at Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia, and many are questioning his readiness for major international tournaments.
Chief football writer John Cross revealed that Tuchel had been unimpressed with Toney in training ahead of further scouting missions and the shock U-turn.
read more: Inside Ivan Toney’s stunning career comeback as former Brentford player returns to England
Tuchel, who admitted he was “surprised” by the decision, said: “I can see he is still putting up numbers. I think he has very special skills and he can be useful in situations and scenarios where we are chasing results.”
“I think he could be a very valuable addition for Harry Kane. He can be present in the box when we are looking to score goals. He can distract other strikers, has a natural presence in the box, is a natural finisher and helps us on set pieces. He is very strong there.”
“He uses his body very well and, let’s not forget, he’s a world-class penalty taker. He ticked a few boxes that we wanted him to tick.”
Many expected Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be signed given his impressive performance in the Premier League this season, but the Leeds United striker’s best feature is his aerial ability. Mainstay Harry Kane is also fully capable of this, ranking in the top 1% of aerial finishers in Machine Football’s database.
Ivan Toney’s link-up play may suit Tuchel’s style better than Calvert-Lewin’s (Image: Machine Football)
Toney is also a world-class finisher, but his 32 league goals were not the main reason for his selection. Rather, as Tuchel has emphasized, it is his mastery from set-pieces, especially penalties, from which he has scored 10 goals this season alone.
Toney has maintained an impressive penalty success rate of 94% (47 of 50) throughout his career, and the graph above shows that he is linking up with his teammates and engaging at a higher level, outperforming Calvert-Lewin when it comes to Tuchel’s possession-oriented style.
No Foden or Palmer.
It’s a simple question of form and England’s recent performances, but that hasn’t stopped the saga from spiraling into broader concerns about the lack of world-class creative talent in the squad.
But Tuchel wasn’t concerned. “I’m not afraid[of leaving world-class players at home]because I’m very confident in the group we’ve selected.
“Very difficult decisions, painful conversations. It’s difficult for the players, it’s difficult to explain to them what we’re trying to achieve as a team. And we’re trying to name a balanced team.”
“If everyone was selected, it was only natural that out of these 55 players, we had to retain exceptional talent and exceptional character.”
Phil Foden has only started 22 games in the Premier League this season, often playing deeper to alleviate any creative regression, and is ranked 32nd out of the top 10 players in the world according to Machine Football’s database.
Foden has been on the fringes at Manchester City this season with just 2.68 touches in the box and 1.67 shots per 90, but he hasn’t made up for it with his off-the-ball work either, with just 0.6 defensive wins per 90.
This season, Foden and Palmer have not been able to significantly influence the game with their creativity and goal threat respectively (Image: Machine Football)
Palmer, on the other hand, has suffered a significant underperformance this season. He still has 3.75 touches per 90 in the box and 3.39 shots per 90, but has scored five of his nine goals from the penalty spot, is in the 50th percentile for passing accuracy and is in the bottom 25% of No. 10 players for recovery rate per 90.
Given Tuchel’s choice of certain scenarios and the less visible “connections between players”, it is clear that Foden and Palmer simply were not there at the moments that mattered enough to be featured.
read more: Choose your England World Cup starting XI against Croatia
Jed Spence: “The best one-on-one defender”
Relegation-battling Tottenham’s versatile Jed Spence has dropped Newcastle’s impressive left-back Lewis Hall from the bench in another surprise call-up from Tuchel. Ignore all the noise surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“First of all,[Spence]has been fantastic in every game he has played for us. He has suffered his third managerial change at the club,” explained Tuchel.
“Since then he hasn’t been given much playing time. Of course he is struggling with the situation. He is also part of the situation at Tottenham.”
“He brings something to this group that we don’t have in our profile. He loves to defend. He’s the fastest player on our team and loves to defend one-on-one.”
“That’s what sets him apart. He’s a first full-back and a slightly special full-back for us. Plus he can play on both flanks.”
Hall may be the better all-round left-back, but given the potential for injury after a long domestic season, including the fitness concerns of Reece James and Tino Libramento, and the benefit of being able to change formations within a match, the value of Spence’s versatility is immeasurable.
Jed Spence’s strong dribbling ability complements the blistering speed emphasized by Tuchel (Image: Machine Football)
Ranked in the 99th percentile among full-backs in the world when it comes to dribbling, and arguably the best full-back in England when it comes to acceleration per 90 (0.7), Spence’s physical advantages could prove crucial against speedy wingers in the knockout stages.
England’s full-backs aren’t far behind Spence’s offensive duels figures either, with 8.84 points per 90.
read more: Thomas Tuchel reveals four surprises in England’s World Cup plans
Bowen absent from match against Madueke
As Jarrod Bowen continues to wait for his first World Cup appearance, the West Ham captain may have missed his biggest chance with Arsenal’s Noni Madueke being selected first.
The England manager expressed sympathy and admiration for Bowen’s reaction to his absence, but spoke passionately about Madueke’s tendency to influence games from the bench.
“(Madueke) hasn’t played that regularly, but he’s used to going in and out, which is a big advantage. I believe in his ability to change the game and confuse defensive structures one-on-one,” Tuchel said.
Madueke’s dribbling is certainly a superpower for the 24-year-old, who ranks in the top 0.1% of wingers in the world in this respect according to Machine Football’s database, with 6.98 successful dribbles per 90 compared to Bowen’s 5.54.
Bowen may have better all-round attributes, but Tuchel chose Madueke for his ability to stretch a tired defense (Image: Machine Football)
The chemistry Madueke already shares with his fellow players could also have been a deciding factor, as he is familiar with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze after spending a season with Arsenal.
The same is true for most of these difficult decisions. Rather than simply asking for the most talented players, Tuchel chose to select players for specific roles and prioritized the intangible element of “building a brotherhood.”
This is definitely the reason for hiring Jordan Henderson.
The Brentford midfielder, who previously captained his country, is unlikely to have much of an impact on game time, but he is likely to be part of the leadership group formed during the March international break, and although Tuchel has gone out of his way to emphasize its importance, he has been reluctant to reveal the identity of his involvement.
The England manager said: “This is a group of five or six players and there can always be fluidity within a group, but they had ownership. They looked out for themselves and had a big influence.”
“I was very happy with how they acted and how they interacted and how they stepped up, so there’s no need to change that.”
Everything that has been said about these selections will be forgotten if England can win their first World Cup in 60 years.
read more: Paul: Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden Selected from England’s World Cup squad – tell us what you think
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