Thomas Tuchel has built his England World Cup squad around cohesion rather than star power. The biggest calls are the obvious ones: Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are out, while I. Toney, Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson are in.
Tuchel was blunt about the logic behind it. "Everything I know about international football is about cohesion and about chemistry," he said, adding that the aim was to select and build the best possible team, "which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players." That is the clearest line in the brief, and it explains why this squad leans toward balance and roles.
Why Tuchel backed the functional picks
Toney is the most striking example. Tuchel said he has "very special skills" for the situations when England are chasing a result, and the brief says he had featured for just seven minutes under Tuchel before the squad selection. That is a fairly strong clue that this is about a specific job, not a general place in the starting order.
The same theme runs through the other inclusions. Valentino Livramento has made 17 Premier League appearances, while Henderson has 31. Burn's 28 Premier League appearances also fit the picture of a squad that values dependable top-flight minutes and structural familiarity. Tuchel also said the squad was built around "energy, connection and collectivity" rather than simply picking the 26 most talented players.
Why the omissions will still annoy people
The Foden and Palmer calls are the ones that will draw the most noise, and not without reason. Foden has made only 22 Premier League starts this season. Palmer, meanwhile, has 25 Premier League appearances, 9 goals and 1 assist. Those are not the numbers of players who have vanished from the conversation.
But Tuchel is not picking on reputation alone, and he is not asking the squad to be a talent contest. On the evidence in the brief, he has chosen a team he believes can work together more cleanly in tournament conditions. That is a defensible approach, even if it leaves two very obvious names on the outside.
The real test now is whether the balance he wants shows up when England need to chase games. If it does, the Toney call will look shrewd. If it does not, the Foden and Palmer omissions will keep the pressure on.
FAQ
Why did Thomas Tuchel leave out Phil Foden and Cole Palmer from England's World Cup squad?
Tuchel said he was building the best possible team, not simply collecting the 26 most talented players. The brief says the squad was shaped around cohesion, chemistry, energy and collective balance, which is why the omissions of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer sat alongside the inclusions of players such as Ivan Toney, Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn.
Why did Thomas Tuchel pick Ivan Toney for England?
Tuchel said Toney has 'very special skills' for the moments when England are chasing a result. The brief also says Toney had featured for just seven minutes under Tuchel before the squad selection, so this looks like a role-based pick rather than a regular-starting one.
Is Cole Palmer's England omission explained by his Premier League numbers?
Palmer still had 25 Premier League appearances, 9 goals and 1 assist, so the omission is a selection call rather than a simple lack of game time. The article's angle is that Tuchel valued balance, roles and chemistry over a straight talent comparison.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
