England’s World Cup squad has raised some eyebrows, with manager Thomas Tuchel said to be facing heavy criticism if he fails to deliver after some key calls.
Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad is divided (Image: ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has been told that unless he wins this summer’s tournament with England, “selecting him in the B team for the World Cup should be a punishable offense.”
The German coach has selected a 26-man squad for the North American World Cup, which begins in less than a month. And the former Chelsea manager did not hesitate to make the big decision with key players remaining in the country.
Tuchel has been willing to take his leading lights off since his arrival, which goes against the recent history of England selections. For the World Cup, they chose to leave out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Wharton.
Instead, they have named players such as Brentford’s Jordan Henderson and departed Manchester City centre-half John Stones, despite lacking playing time this season. Ivan Toney, currently based in Saudi Arabia, is one of three No. 9 players in the running, but the German has faced criticism due to his team composition.
“It looks like we are sending a B team to the World Cup against a country with A star talent. Thomas Tuchel has completely confused his principles and has chosen a team that should come back with a trophy or be sacked,” Deeney told The Sun newspaper.
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The former Watford striker added: “The call to keep Trent, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden might look incredibly foolish in a few months’ time. We all like the idea of not choosing based on name or ego, but that’s a lot of quality to keep at home and I don’t see Tuchel leading England any further than Gareth Southgate in this team.”
In the last World Cup in 2022, the Three Lions were eliminated in the last eight by France. Four years earlier, Southgate led them to the last four, losing to Croatia. Since their only success at the 1966 World Cup, England have only reached the semi-finals twice.
Cole Palmer’s difficult season cost him World Cup qualification (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Tuchel is perhaps the most successful England manager since winning on home soil in the 1960s. He has already signed a contract to stay beyond the World Cup and revealed the squad was chosen with the whole team in mind, meaning better individuals are potentially ignored.
“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,” the German said.
“It’s very easy for a team to win a championship. What we’re trying to accomplish in the summer can only be accomplished as a team. With that in mind, we’ve chosen a very balanced team.”
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