It’s tough to find fault with Thomas Tuchel’s England at the minute.
The Three Lions have already qualified for the World Cup finals having won all six of their games in Group K, scoring 18 goals and conceding none. It is likely that perfect record will continue over the next 10 days with games against Serbia and Albania.
Tuchel has achieved it by building a club mentality at international level and has shown a willingness to leave out big-name players unless he is convinced they deserve a place in the squad.
The likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have both spent time on the outside looking in before being included in the latest squad this morning.
Tuchel selected 25 players and, on the face of it, it appears a nice blend of youth and experience. But that’s not to say there are no issues to address.
We take at look at five here:
NO SPECIALIST LEFT-BACK
Tuchel explained the omission of Myles Lewis-Skelly was due to other players “outperforming” him. That is fine – all players should be chosen on merit – but it means the squad has no specialist left-back. Nico O’Reilly is a midfielder-turned-full-back by Pep Guardiola while Djed Spence can play on the left side but prefers the other flank. Dan Burn has also featured at left-back for Newcastle but it’s hard to imagine the former Brighton man coping with the world’s trickiest wingers next summer. Keeping Lewis-Skelly involved for the medium and long term would have been a smart move.
PLETHORA OF DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Tuchel is tactically flexible and can operate a number of different systems. However, most of them include no more than two defensive midfielders. Indeed, you could argue against teams where England will have the bulk of possession, only one is required. That does pose the question why today’s squad includes four – Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson? Tuchel has repeatedly emphasised the positive impact the likes of ‘good pros’ Henderson and Burn have on the group but the continued selection of the Brentford man does seem unnecessary.
GORDON OVER GREALISH?
As mentioned, Tuchel was eager to stress players were selected on form with the likes of Lewis-Skelly, Morgan Gibbs-White, James Trafford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek left out on the grounds their recent performances have been overshadowed by positional rivals. On that basis it is tough to justify the inclusion of Anthony Gordon. The Newcastle winger has not scored or had an assist in the Premier League since January. In 10 appearances this season for Everton, Grealish has had four assists and scored one goal. Yes, Gordon gives plenty of energy down the left side but will that be enough against the world’s best if there is no end product?
CAN FODEN AND BELLINGHAM PLAY TOGETHER?
With Tuchel making it clear he no longer sees Foden as a left-winger, a role he regularly filled under his predecessor Gareth Southgate, and describing the Manchester City man as a number 10, it’s difficult to see where he fits into an England XI. Especially as he also described Bellingham as a “number 10, who can find number nine positions”. It seems two of England’s biggest talents are vying for the same spot. It’s inconceivable to imagine Bellingham being left out for England’s first game next summer but does that leave Foden as a mere squad filler?
NO SECOND NUMBER NINE
Yes, this is most likely a temporary issue with Tuchel explaining Ollie Watkins has been left out of this squad to give the Aston Villa striker time to recover from a nagging injury worry. But it also highlights the lack of options in the number nine role should Bayern Munich goal-machine Harry Kane sustain an injury that restricts his impact as it did at Euro 2024. Watkins is a decent Premier League centre-forward but nothing more. Likewise, Danny Welbeck has looked very good for Brighton this season, and like Burn and Henderson would have a positive impact on the squad. But it’s slim pickings, a situation that won’t change before the finals arrives.
