Thomas Tuchel says trust in certain players was a major factor in his controversial 26-man England squad for the World Cup that was confirmed this morning.
The likes of Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were overlooked with the German opting instead for Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson and Ivan Toney in a selection that appears to favour group harmony over ability.
Al-Ahli striker Toney has appeared for just seven minutes under Tuchel but veteran pair Burn and Henderson have been mainstays over the past 18 months.
Speaking on the England app, Tuchel said: “A lot of factors play into that nomination process. Like I said, I love the difficult decisions – they bring a certain edge. That is what you need to go all the way. It is hard to please. In the end, we have to pick the squad that we as a staff are convinced of and really believe in.
“You feel the love of your coach, and you feel the trust. In the end, it comes down to this – who do we really trust? The connection has to be there. Somehow, it is a bit of a tool to challenge myself. What would I think from the outside? Mostly it is about the energy, connection and trust between me and the players.”
Leaks undermine England squad announcement
News of Tuchel’s choices have gradually emerged over the past 24 hours with many excluded players taking to social media to express their disappointment at not being on the plane to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The whole process has appeared amateurish and Tuchel admitted it was difficult having to phone those that didn’t make it.
He added: “Difficult, difficult phone calls, I respect all of them, as players and personalities. They deserved a call-up, from 55, to reduce it, was difficult, sometimes painful. I felt the emotion.
“I called all of them that were with us at least one time, I showed appreciation and respect for what they’ve done.”
England head to America next week
The group will head to Florida next week for a training camp before the action gets underway for real with England’s opening game coming against Croatia on June 17.
“We build our way through the tournament, meetings, trainings already, the pre-camp, 10 days, it’s planned out,” said Tuchel.
“Once the decisions are made, it’s a different feel, it takes a while, scenarios, hopefully we’re together for six weeks, a lot of factors play into it, I like the difficult decisions, it brings clarity and an edge.”
