Thomas Tuchel hones an England squad to suit his tactical vision
The head coach will not necessarily pick the better player, or the one in form, but the one who best fits a specific role
Amid the intrigue of the final weeks of the domestic season comes a reminder that the World Cup is fast approaching, that England have just four more warm-up games before they face Croatia in their first group game in Arlington in June. Thomas Tuchel’s plans are coming in to focus: these upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan are the last chance for experiments or tests before the final honing in the USA.
Tuchel has been refreshingly consistent in prioritising balance over individuals. Even Gareth Southgate fell into the celebrity trap near the end, his Euro 2024 squad a shapeless gaggle of stars who scrambled to the final despite an old-fashioned incoherence. For Tuchel, the stars versus system question crystallises around the central attacking midfield role where, in recent games, Morgan Rogers has been preferred to Jude Bellingham. Although Cole Palmer has showed some signs of returning to form, that still feels like the highest-profile selection decision for Tuchel, particularly given his apparent disquiet around Bellingham’s robust self-confidence and the impact that may have on the rest of the squad.
Bellingham hasn’t played since sustaining a hamstring injury at the beginning of February, and will not feature against Uruguay. Rogers is one of 11 players who will not join up with the squad until after that first game so, with Bellingham unable to make his case, this is perhaps an opportunity for Palmer or Phil Foden. Given his capacity to play from the right and deputise for Bukayo Saka, Palmer would presumably go to the World Cup anyway; Foden’s place is less secure but bolstered by his versatility.
The biggest questions, though, are probably at full-back. The early Southgate era when it seemed that England could have fielded almost an entire XI of high-class right-backs feels a long time ago, the situation complicated by Reece James’s hamstring injury and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s lack of game-time at Real Madrid. England had five different starters at right-back in the eight World Cup qualifying games, with James the only one to start more than once.
Alexander-Arnold, the most notable omission from Tuchel’s squad, started both legs of Real Madrid’s victory over Manchester City, but Tuchel has only played him for 26 minutes, as a substitute away against Andorra. Again, that’s a case of Tuchel prioritising the system over the ability of an individual. Nobody doubts Alexander-Arnold’s passing but he is an unusual sort of right-back and sui generis players rarely thrive at international level where systems are necessarily simpler than they are at club level. It’s not about whether Alexander-Arnold is one of England’s 35 best players; it’s about whether he is best equipped to do the job of a right-back as Tuchel envisages it.
Four different players, including James, started at left-back in qualifying, with Myles Lewis-Skelly the most common selection. The 19-year-old has started only one league game for Arsenal this season and is therefore essentially unselectable. Luke Shaw’s injury problems seem happily behind him – he has begun every league game for Manchester United this season – but the 30-year-old has not played for England since the final of Euro 2024. Nico O’Reilly is the man in possession, but is one of those who will join the squad only for the Japan game, giving Lewis Hall or Djed Spence an opportunity against Uruguay.
It seems almost certain that the first-choice pair in midfield will be Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice, but they are also in that second wave of players to join up, meaning the Uruguay game will give a clear indication of how Tuchel sees his back-up options. Adam Wharton alongside the recalled Kobbie Mainoo offers an enticing range of passing, but it may be that Tuchel prefers the greater ball-winning capacities of James Garner. Jordan Henderson, whose form at Brentford this season makes his selection less surprising than it was when he was at Ajax, seems almost certain to go to the World Cup for his squad leadership as much as for his abilities in midfield.
The other big issue is over who will serve as backup to Harry Kane at centre-forward and, again, the first game, before the Bayern striker joins up, should provide clues as to Tuchel’s preferred option. At the moment, it seems to come down to a straight battle of the two Dominics, Calvert-Lewin and Solanke, although the cut may not be as ruthless in this area as others with room for perhaps three strikers in the squad.
The key there, as elsewhere, is for Tuchel to choose not the better player or even the player in better form, but to select the player who best fits the role as he sees it. That has been his mantra so far; clarity of tactical vision may be his and England’s greatest strength.