Earlier this week we reported on England's Wembley win and the wider mood around Thomas Tuchel's squad choices. This time the focus is narrower. Tuchel has tried to make Jarrad Branthwaite's omission against Croatia sound like a fine-margin call, not a rejection, after Dan Burn started in the England vs Croatia match and Branthwaite stayed on the bench.

Tuchel's case for Burn

Tuchel's explanation came back to Burn's fit, his training standards and the way England's back line had been altered. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he said: "Dan came late into the camp and Dan is just Dan. He is a fantastic guy to have, he is always a standard-setter in training." He added that it was "maybe a 51% decision between him and Jarrad."

That is a hard line to read as a brutal snub. Burn started at the heart of England's defence alongside Jarell Quansah in the 2-1 win at Wembley, and Tuchel also pointed to the way Burn had already played in a similar style with Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon for Eddie Howe in the Champions League. England were already through to the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, so the staff had room to make that sort of call.

What Branthwaite's omission says about England

Branthwaite's club form has not disappeared from view. He has 9 Premier League appearances and 801 minutes this season for Everton, and his 6.88 league rating suggests he is not arriving short of rhythm. Burn, by contrast, has one Nations League appearance this season and rated 7.3 in the Croatia win, which is the sort of detail that will keep Tuchel leaning his way when the back four changes.

Burn's selection also fits the manager's preference for new partnerships in a side that is still being arranged around him. Tuchel said, "We had some changes in the back four. We knew that Dan played in a similar kind of style to go into opponents' half, and a man-man, he played with Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon and he did it for Eddie Howe in the Champions League." He then added: "It was a similar approach so we thought it could help because we had new faces and new partnerships in the back four we went for him."

The margins were small, but the selection still points one way. Branthwaite was an unused substitute, Burn started, and Tuchel's language was about fit and familiarity rather than any deeper problem with the Everton defender. England face another set of decisions next, but this one looks like a contest decided by the shape of the defence rather than a lasting judgement on Branthwaite.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →