Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire are among the high-profile omissions from Thomas Tuchel’s squad
Tuchel learns of Pep Guardiola quitting Man City during England World Cup presser
There has been quite a lot of breaking news this morning with Michael Carrick confirmed as Manchester United boss and Pep Guardiola announcing his departure from Man City.
Tuchel learned about the latter whilst doing his press conference explaining his squad decisions.Tuchel learns of Pep Guardiola quitting Man City during England World Cup presser
Players can push for places
“They are just two of the names [Rogers and Bellingham] who are potential starters in the same position,” Tuchel said.
“There is still variety in these positions, so they can also play together, that should not be a problem.
“If they compete for one position through the tournament, I think it is possible to compete as accomplices and you don’t have to be enemies.
“In the example of Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham, they are friends anyway. We have a couple of others. Bukayo Saka, Noni who fight for the same place in the club.
“I strongly believe it is possible that you fight for your place and still push your friend, colleague, especially in international football to the best possible performance. We took a lot of care about that, this energy is right.”
England’s 2026 World Cup squad is here – but can they go all the way?
England head to the 2026 World Cup carrying the same burden they always do: expectation.
Nearly 60 years on from their only major trophy, the Three Lions once again arrive at a tournament with one of the most talented squads in world football – but also with familiar questions hanging over them.
Thomas Tuchel’s first World Cup squad has already sparked fierce debate after several high-profile omissions, with fans divided over whether bold decisions or big mistakes have been made ahead of the tournament
‘We will try to win the tournament’
“This is how I want the team to play, this is how I want the team to develop,” Tuchel continued
“This is why we picked that squad and this is why I’m so sure we picked the right squad. It is about building a brotherhood. It is about building excitement and a certain energy.
“Then I feel we can transmit this to our fans who are either in the stadium or back here in England pushing. Once we get this energy right, everything is possible. We said it very early, we will try to go all the way. We will try to win this tournament.”
Tuchel wants England to ‘challenge’
The England manager was also asked how he plans on helping England end a 60-year wait to win the World Cup.
He said: “I heard recently a quote from Rafa Nadal, who said ‘I’m not a winner, I am a competitor, I’m a challenger’.
“That is basically how I arrive in the US for this tournament. I arrive with hunger, I arrive with excitement and I arrive as a competitor and as a challenger.
“I think that is the role for us as a team.”
Tuchel on including extra players in travel plans
“I think Dean [Henderson] is not an issue, we have Jason Steele in camp. We can start with three goalkeepers and we have four,” he said when explained which extra players will travel with the squad.
Tuchel added: “We will take some young players out who will train with us and keep the squad in the size that we need, we have all the possibilities for the two friendly matches to take care about the minutes and the load off the players so this will be Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King and there will be one more player which we cannot name because it is not confirmed yet.
“I am happy that these guys are with us, especially Alex who was even on the list of 55 and had a disappointing phone call as well, that he didn’t make the first cut but the reaction was outstanding – the commitment, the wish to be in pre-camp and to just be a step closer to the team showed me his character.
“I am delighted he is with us because he was a close call and gets a chance to take a step closer and to get a cap.”
Tuchel on how England’s leadership group was formed
“We had a March camp and we had a June camp and it was pretty clear for us who should be in there,” he said.
“I see no value in sharing it with you to be honest, so I will keep it to myself.
“It’s a group of five or six players and there is always like a fluidity that is possible in the group, but they took ownership. They took care and they were massively influential.
“I was very, very happy with the way they acted and interacted and how they stepped up, so there is no need to change that.”
Thomas Tuchel explains reasons behind Cole Palmer and Phil Foden omissions
Thomas Tuchel rasied a few eyebrows with the selections for his 26-man England squad to take to the World Cup and there are plenty of big-name players who have been excluded.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire was ‘shocked’ and ‘gutted’ about missing out on one of the places for defence but there were surprises in midfield too as neither Manchester City’s Phil Foden nor Chelsea’s Cole Palmer were included in the squad.
Thomas Tuchel explains reasons behind Cole Palmer and Phil Foden omissions
Neither player made the World Cup squad with Tuchel saying competition for places made it a difficult decision to exclude them
Tuchel on Maguire
More from Tuchel speaking about Harry Maguire. He said: “Still I was a bit surprised because we had a private conversation and he had the chance to express his feelings which he did and this is fair enough because I can see all the reasons why he could be in the squad.
“But, the decision is that we stood firmly with our central defenders that carried us through September, October and November.
“Some of them are part of the leadership group that took ownership and set the standards high. It was a decision for these 26 players, even if it feels against individuals.”
Tuchel surprised by Maguire statement
The England boss also addressed the statement from Harry Maguire last night in which the defender expressed shock at being left out of the squad.
“I was a bit surprised, but I respect his personality a lot, I respect his quality a lot,” Tuchel said.
“He has had an outstanding season, I can see the disappointment, I can see the reason behind the disappointment.”
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