This feels like a seismic moment for England’s plans for next summer’s World Cup.
Never before has the head coach given so many concrete hints about his intentions.
So far, manager Thomas Tuchel has kept his cards close to his chest, saying individual players have not yet been ruled out or excluded from his plans.
Indeed, during Friday’s squad announcement, he said he knows there will be some players who will need attention as they start to hit their stride in the second half of the season, and changes in form and fitness will all have a big impact on his selections.
And he has now told us directly that he will not be able to have all the No. 10 players who played in his eight matches for England in the World Cup. He also names them – Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White (he forgot to name Ebere Eze – that might be important).
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England head coach Thomas Tuchel talks about experimentation, Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and whether he knows his starting eleven for next summer’s World Cup opener.
Tuchel also said he was no longer afraid to make “tough decisions” and to remove big, well-regarded names from the starting XI, and indeed from the squad as a whole.
What’s more, he went on to say in a radio interview that Harry Kane, Bellingham and Foden cannot and will not play together in the same England team while he is manager. Not unless he decides to change formations, but he says that option is off the table at the moment.
oh. Three revelations rolled into one. All are closely related, but each is very detailed. Named.
In his 11 months in charge, we have learned that Tuchel has only ever singled out individual players in deliberate tactics to boost their players’ belief or stimulate the backside. It’s one or the other.
He said Marcus Rashford could become one of the best forwards in world football. There’s a carrot there. He said he was surprised that 24-year-old Bukayo Saka had only scored 13 international goals so far, despite having just broken Arsenal’s record for England goalscorers. There’s a stick there.
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England manager Thomas Tuchel has explained why he has called up Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden to his squad for the World Cup qualifiers.
But what’s happening now is different. And I can only assume that it is calculated.
Tuchel’s message was not directed at any particular player, but rather a broad warning to many. “If you don’t step up, you won’t be able to fly on a plane next summer.”
Up until this point in his tenure as England manager, Tuchel had said his selections were based on a combination of performance and pedigree. He won’t ignore the fact that some of England’s best players, who have played and achieved success in major tournaments in the past, are currently struggling.
England’s “best players” will be given special allowances as they will be needed for the big games in the biggest competitions. That makes sense. For example, it would be foolish to think that Kane could miss out on next summer’s headlines if he fails to score in six games for Bayern Munich.
And it would be equally strange for Tuchel to exclude Palmer’s extraordinary talent if he has six months left to prove his suitability.
But what we’re now hearing from England’s head coach is a pretty obvious shift in emphasis: pedigree? That’s not enough. Now is the time to step up and prove your worth.
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Paul Merson says Phil Foden is returning to his “best” and admits the past few years have been difficult for the England midfielder.
And that will be music to the ears of players like Rodgers and Elliott Anderson. Neither player has played in a major senior tournament, but Anderson played a key role in England’s Under-21 Euro win last summer and may have been worried about missing out on playing against more established players.
It was significant that Tuchel singled out both Rodgers and Anderson for his media duties, praising their impact. He says Anderson is “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” and “an important player for us”. Rodgers “played great in this position.”
It’s also worth noting that Tuchel has kept a fairly stable squad for each of the last three autumn international breaks.
There was only one change to England’s squad in September and October, when Saka returned from injury, and apart from the returns of Bellingham and Foden, there were only two other outfield changes in this latest squad selection.
These other outfield changes included Adam Wharton and Alex Scott, especially since Tuchel has yet to find a solution in central midfield. Elsewhere in the team, the same players are included and there is obvious consistency.
Between now and when Tuchel names his World Cup squad next May, we’ll all be playing a game of predictions about who will play and who will be absent. However, it is reasonable to think that he will only take two strikers, one of which is Kane.
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The Sky Sports News fan club has detailed the riches’ embarrassment in England’s midfield, but begs the question – who will play where?
He will take four or five central midfield players, three of whom will inevitably look like Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Anderson. And the most likely prediction is that he gets three No. 10s. Bellingham is probably the only player to be a surefire pick, with Rodgers moving ever closer to a guaranteed spot in the team.
What Tuchel has done now is announce his own failures, and in doing so prepare England’s fan base and some of its biggest players for the eventuality that some will be absent, and that his World Cup squad will be a little different to many teams of the past.
This may reduce some of the shock when the 26 North American names are finally revealed. But that doesn’t make it any less important.
