Thomas Tuchel named a controversial England squad for the 2026 World Cup and has been warned that snubbing the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold could cost him his job
Thomas Tuchel has been warned that picking a “B-team for the World Cup should be a sackable offence” unless he claims the trophy with England this summer.
The German has named his 26-man squad for the World Cup in North America with the Three Lions kicking off their campaign in under a month – and the former Chelsea manager has been bold in making some significant decisions with several high-profile names omitted.
Since his appointment, Tuchel has shown a readiness to drop star players, which goes against the recent tradition of England team selection. For the World Cup he’s chosen to exclude huge names like Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer and Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, along with the likes of Manchester United stalwart Harry Maguire, whose family lashed out after he was omitted.
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Instead he’s selected the likes of veteran Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson and departing injury-prone Manchester City centre-back John Stones, despite their limited game time this season. Ivan Toney, now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, is among three No 9s to earn selection – but the composition of the squad has exposed the German to fierce criticism.
Troy Deeney wrote in the Sun: “For a nation with A-star talent, we seem to be sending a B-team to the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel has got his principles all muddled up and has selected a squad that, if they do not come back with the trophy, should be a sackable offence.”
The former Watford forward also claimed: “The calls to leave Trent, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden behind could look incredibly stupid in a couple of months. Everyone likes the idea of not picking based on names or egos, but that is an awful lot of quality to be left back home and, with this squad, I cannot see Tuchel taking England any further than Gareth Southgate did.”
At the previous World Cup in 2022, the Three Lions were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France. Four years earlier, Southgate led them to the semi-finals, where they lost to Croatia. Since their sole World Cup triumph in 1966, England have reached the semi-finals only twice.
Tuchel is one of the most successful club managers to take the reins of the England team since their victory on home turf in the 1960s. He’s already inked a deal to stay beyond the World Cup and has made it clear his squad was chosen with the group dynamic in mind, meaning superior individuals may have been overlooked, reports the Mirror.
The German commented: “I think from day one we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players.
“Teams win championships, it is 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.”