Thomas Tuchel has made Noni Madueke's latest England omission sound like a difficult call, not a rejection. [Mikel Arteta] said the same player has responded to setbacks in a way that has helped him grow for Arsenal, especially with Bukayo Saka's quad injury opening more minutes on the right.

Tuchel's explanation

Madueke was left out of England's squad for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. Tuchel said it was "a close call and a difficult decision not to bring Noni, because he got his minutes after Bukayo’s injury at Arsenal." He also said, "He got some goals. It was very close. But also [in that position], we stuck with the group that we had [during the last international break] and give them our trust."

That is a straightforward selection argument. Tuchel did not frame the omission around any collapse in form, he framed it around keeping faith with the group that had already been used.

Arteta's view of Madueke's response

Arteta has taken the opposite tone, praising what Madueke did after not playing. Speaking to Standard and Sky Sports, he said: "What he did was go abroad and he trained. He got somebody to train and he wanted a programme. He wanted to do that. That’s Noni and that’s his mindset. He wants to get better."

He added: "The way he reacted to that I think is a great example for the rest of the squad, which is, 'I want to do more.' He went away, started to train and was a different Noni. He wasn't going to accept that situation, he meant business. Since then he has been incredible."

The on-field numbers back up why Arsenal are leaning on him more heavily. Madueke is creating 3.57 chances per 90 minutes this season and posting 0.32 expected assists per 90, while his dribble success rate has risen from 50% to 55% and his pass success rate from 78% to 87%.

He has also delivered in important moments, scoring against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and Slavia Prague in the Champions League. Against that backdrop, his place in the conversation is stronger than it was at the start of the season, even if England have not moved yet.

The immediate test comes with England's next two Nations League fixtures, Croatia on 2026-11-12 and Spain on 2026-11-15.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →