Connect with us

Championship

Mixed reaction as Thomas Tuchel names 26-man England squad for 2026 World Cup

There is mixed reaction from fans on social media as Thomas Tuchel names his 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The call-ups sees a number of surprises including high-profile omissions, Harry Maguire being the first to express his disappointment with the news emerged, his Maguire’s mother Zoe also saying she was “disgusted” by the decision.

HLTCO wrote ahead of the 10am announcement: “The England squad is almost always fully leaked ahead of the official announcement; in reality it probably makes little difference to our chances of success but to me, it acts as a vehicle to show how deeply embedded the media are with it all, the hysteria, the gossip etc, it can’t be conducive to a group of players coming together and doing well when you know your every move, spat or slip up is likely to be leaked somewhere for the country to read about.”

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by England football team (@england)

ENGLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

England boss Thomas Tuchel said, as per Sky Sports: “A lot of phone calls over the last three days. A lot of difficult decisions.

“I’m feeling between relief and excited and ready to go.

“Once the decisions are made it gives you clarity and I can’t wait to be in the plane.

“I love the tough decisions because they bring in the end clarity, a certain edge.

“It’s hard to please. We have to pick a squad we as a staff are convinced and really love.

“If there are doubts [from the players about coach’s love] you don’t play on the same level.

“Who do we really trust? Who delivered for us? Who created a culture especially from September onwards?

“The connection has to be there.

“It’s not fully out of the picture what the public and media thinks. What would I think from the outside? But mostly it’s about the energy and the trust and the connection between the players.

“A lot of thinking went into these soft factors. How do we get the chemistry right?”

Tuchel on Maguire, Foden, Palmer absence – autumn internationals key – “Difficult phone calls. I respect all of them. As players, personalities. All of them have been in camp, have been excellent.

“To reduce it was difficult, sometimes painfully difficult. Even in the phone calls I felt the emotion.

“I called all the players who were in camp with us at least one time. A lot of them deserved to be with us.

“In the end we went back to the evidence we had – in September, October, November, the leadership group and the team had very few changes in November… that felt we had a bit of fresh air, younger players who played with excitement, it was a good mix of young and old and brought the best out of the players. We want to recreate that spirit – that’s why we rely heavily on the group that was with us in those three camps.

“For some it was a positional thing and not bring five No 10s and make them play out of position.”

Tuchel on how he assessed players – “It’s a mix. What did they do for us? Does someone bring a different profile on a position? And then you monitor and watch them and it’s never out of the picture what you do for your club.

“In March we opened it up and gave everyone a chance. The decisions were difficult but somebody had to take them.”

Tuchel on the good phone calls – “Some amazing phone calls. The level of emotion and what it means to the players to get that call, even players who aren’t there for the first time.

“With every phone call to say they were selected, I was more sure we picked the right players.”

Tuchel on team work – “It will be the group and the team that is the main focus [not picking the best 26]. We need to be committed if we want to achieve what we want to achieve.”

Tuchel on daring to dream – “I can dream. But very quickly you go back and chop it up into steps you can influence.

“In March last year we said to the players ‘let’s try to win it’. I strongly believe if the energy and the commitment is right, this is really a brotherhood, the fans will notice and see.

“Let’s play with hunger, with excitement. The goal is clear. But the focus will now be on the 10 days of camp… otherwise it’s a lot to digest.”

Tuchel on sticking with one formation – “You can see in the selction we chose nine defenders for four positions, seven midfielders for three positions.

“The idea is to stick with this formation.

“Adaptation comes naturally in the defensive approach. There are so many formations on the other side. It should be flexible to adapt our defensive approach.

“Will we change our structure? We will try to stick with what makes us strong and we have a clear idea we have the key players in the position to make a difference.

“The target is more to reconnect with our values in the first 10 days and then prepare for Croatia in Kansas.”

Sky Sports News‘ Rob Dorsett said:

“Harry Maguire has not been a mainstay of Thomas Tuchel’s England even though he has been for so many years. He has played in three major tournaments. He’s won 66 caps. He’s been playing really well for Manchester United. He’s played 14 of the 16 games under Michael Carrick and the only two he missed was due to suspension.

“He played for England in the last two friendlies and was outstanding in those games, especially against Uruguay. I thought he had done enough to prove his worth, but straight after that game Tuchel came out and said that as far as he was concerned, Maguire was his fifth-choice centre-back.

“He is brutally honest. If you listen to what he’s said, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise. In terms of the experience he’s got, the form for Manchester United, he is fit and readily available – I’m surprised he’s not one of the top five centre-backs because I think Tuchel will pick five.

“We fully expect Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa to be the first-choice. Dan Burn is probably going to be in there. Those three probably have one foot on the plane already. We are hearing suggestions that Levi Colwill might be included. John Stones, who we know Thomas Tuchel is a massive fan of, but he hasn’t played 90 minutes since August. Can Tuchel justify calling him up?

“There’s Jarell Quansah, Trevor Chalobah. There are options and it is difficult to guess what Tuchel is thinking. The vast majority of players who are expected to be in the squad haven’t been told yet.

“When you see that Harry Maguire has been left out, you wonder how many surprises Thomas Tuchel is going to spring?

“For the last 16 months, the biggest debate he’s had, the media have had and the biggest debate among supporters is who is going to be the number ten? If you work on the basis of two players for every position, that’s 22. He has to take three goalkeepers. He’s got to name a squad of 26 so he’s only got three other positions.

“That would suggest at least one, maybe two very big names are going to be left out. Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze. I fully expect Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers to be his first choices. Can he fit anymore in than that? I suspect he will, but he certainly can’t fit all of those in.

“The same applies to Trent Alexander-Arnold. He’s been absolutely flying for Real Madrid in the last month or two, but he wasn’t even included in the squad of 35 Tuchel picked in March. That tells you everything you need to know. He’s only played once under Tuchel, a substitute appearance against Andorra. He doesn’t fancy him. Tuchel has said he doesn’t fit the profile he wants in a right-back. With Ben White injured, most people would expect Alexander-Arnold to go. I still think it’s a long shot.

“Forget anything I said about predicting Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

“We said he’s a man of his own mind, a strong mind, that he’s not frightened to leave big names out and include other players.

“Ivan Toney has not really featured under Thomas Tuchel in the 16 months he’s been in charge. He played two minutes, and he came on in the 88th minute.

“Reports were suggesting that Ivan Toney felt a little bit humiliated when England 3-1 down against Senegal, and he was brought on with a couple of minutes to go.

“That’s the only football he’s played for England since Thomas Tuchel has been in charge, and now we’re being told that Ivan Toney is in England’s World Cup squad.

“By the way, what does that mean for Ollie Watkins? Because I do not expect Thomas Tuchel to pick more than two strikers.

“We know Harry Kane is going. If he’s going for Ivan Toney, does that mean Ollie Watkins isn’t going to make it?

“Okay, let’s get over the shock and say what an extraordinary season Ivan Toney has had in the Saudi Pro League.

“49 matches, 42 goals. There’s no doubt that he’s in absolutely top form, and he’s been tearing it up out in Saudi Arabia, but Thomas Tuchel had a look at him. He had him in that camp last June and gave him two minutes of football.

“What’s changed between now and then? What did he see? Why didn’t he give him more time out there? I’m scratching my head to try to understand what’s going on here.

“There’s no doubt that Ivan Toney is an absolute top-quality player, but all the predictions I had over this squad and Thomas Tuchel ripped those up. I thought there were 16 guaranteed names. Harry [Maguire] is not in. Ivan Toney is in. It’s mind-blowing.

“It looks like England will take three strikers to the World Cup, with indications that Ollie Watkins will join Harry Kane and Ivan Toney on the plane.

“England’s leakiest World Cup squad announcement ever.

“Thomas Tuchel and the FA won’t be happy about that.

“The news started breaking about 6pm last night when we heard from Harry Maguire when he said he wasn’t in it. Then we got the news that Ivan Toney was in from out of nowhere.

“They are two of the big headlines, with also the ommissions of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden the other big stories.

“Arsenal forwards Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are going to be in. Kobbie Mainoo looks to have won the battle for another berth in central midfield.

“In defence, I think you have to say the inclusions of both Jarell Quansah and John Stones are expected to make this squad. Stones is a surprise because he hasn’t played 90 minutes of football in the Premier League since August.

“We also haven’t heard anything about Trent Alexander-Arnold or Myles Lewis- Skelly, so there may be one or two surprises yet to come.

“Ivan Toney’s inclusion is probably the biggest surprise, not least because Thomas Tuchel is seemingly taking three strikers, which he hasn’t done before.

“He has played just seven minutes of international football under this current England regime.

“We didn’t think he was on Tuchel’s radar. He is, he is going to be in that squad at 10am.

“England leaving out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and potentially Trent Alexander-Arnold will send shock waves around world football.

“It shows England have a wealth of talent in specific positions.

“When it comes to Palmer and Foden, I expected maybe one of them would make and not both, because Thomas Tuchel has talked about his no. 10 options all the time.

“He has a wealth of talent in that position. We knew Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers were going to go, but how many more no. 10s did he need and how many could he fit in?

“The fact he has gone for Eberechi Eze is a bit of a surprise but he can offer options on either wing and he’s just won the Premier League with Arsenal. His confidence is sky high.

“We’ll be speaking to Thomas Tuchel at 11am and there is no doubt there are some really interesting questions for him.

“It’s been the most bizarre England squad announcement I’ve known in four tournaments. Tuchel has certainly put his stamp on things and he doesn’t mind making the big decisions, leaving some big names out.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold is not in this England squad but instead, the Spurs defender Djed Spence is in.

“It’s surprising becuase Spence has broken his jaw and will have to be assessed by England to see if he can actually travel to the USA, but it is expected he will play for Spurs this weekend with a mask.

“We wondered about Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion last night because there was no word from anybody about whether he was in or not.

“Another huge name and hugely talented footballer left out of this squad. He’s been in top form for Real Madrid of late, but I think the writing was on the wall for Trent from the last squad named. It was an expanded squad, a 35-man squad, and he wasn’t in it.

“It was clear he wasn’t on Tuchel’s radar and the England boss said the player had a different profile which maybe he doesn’t want in his England squad. Tuchel is alluding to the fact Trent isn’t as strong defensively as other options.

“The fact Ben White is injured and will miss the World Cup led me and others to believe maybe there was a chance for Alexander-Arnold, but it seems not.”

Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett said following the official squad announcement: “We’ve known for a long time that Thomas Tuchel has a problem at No 10. He’s got an embarrassment of riches at No 10.

“He said all along he wouldn’t be able to take all of them. He would take the tough decisions and leave big names at home if they weren’t performing well or didn’t fit into his plans.

“He’s kept to his word on that in leaving Phil Foden and Cole Palmer out and Morgan Gibbs-White, who we need to mention.

“But is Gibbs-White ever going to get on the pitch? The No 10 debate will go on and on.

“The real surprise for me is Ivan Toney. He’s not been anywhere near the England squad. He’s played a total of seven minutes in the reign of Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel brought him in last June for two matches.

“He brought him on in the 88th minute when England were 3-1 down against Senegal.

“What could he show in that time? Toney had two touches in those seven minutes. He’s been selected on the basis of two touches.

“I’ll tell you why he’s done it. It’s going to be incredibly hot in America. Tuchel knows Harry Kane cannot play every minute.”

As mentioned, there is mixed reaction as Thomas Tuchel names 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup…

@wenwei95: Everyone losing their minds about this squad. It’s completely fine. The squad is balanced and the profiles around the squad compliment our best players. I probably would’ve taken Hall and Mags, but does it matter that these fringe players (inc. Palmer and MGW) aren’t taken? No.

@statts1971: Really weak in defence midfield and up front, otherwise a great squad

@HarryScarfe22:
No Adam Wharton.
No Morgan Gibbs-White.
No Trent Alexander Arnold
No James Garner.
No Cole Palmer.
No Harry Maguire.
No Lewis Hall.
No Jarrod Bowen.
No Phil Foden (agree with this).
But includes Henderson, Burn, Toney, Spence, and Madueke. 🤦‍♂️
Absolutely shocking squad.

@CFCRobL: Some utterly bizarre selections, but there’s a very, very strong first XI and a self imposed lack of depth which may cost us – biggest concern is the lack of match winners from the bench.

@AnfieIdFix: I love him but Hendo has played in 3 world cups and his legs went years ago. Get he’s there for dressing room stuff but why not just take him as a coach. Must feel like a kick in the teeth for the likes of Jones, Garner, MGW, Wharton, Morton, Scott who all had fantastic seasons.

@James1986Tony:
Players who don’t deserve their place.
Trafford
Stones
Quansah
Burn
Henderson
Toney
Madueke

@sammiej8787: No MGW, Scott or Wharton is criminal! Quansah over Maguire? And wtf is Henderson still playing for England in 2026?

@TheBluesFeed: The defence is what baffles me the most about this squad. James Stones Guehi O’Reilly is a good defence but on injury or rest and we drop off massively. With James and Stones injury prone!

Related Topics
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in Championship