Thomas Tuchel opted not to pick Jack Grealish in his England squad for the current international break, but is he now looking foolish for making that decision?
England defeated Wales 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday night with goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka, with Anthony Gordon getting the nod to start at left wing.
The Three Lions will also play Latvia next Tuesday in a World Cup qualifying game, providing another opportunity for Tuchel to assess his squad.
Despite Grealish’s strong individual start to the season for Everton, Tuchel decided not to call him into his squad, but that has been proven to be a mistake.
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Jack Grealish has outperformed all of England’s wingers
It has been clear throughout the season that Grealish is performing well under David Moyes, recapturing the form that made him a £100million player during his Aston Villa career.
Grealish has scored once and provided four assists already this season, and his performances have been a driving force in Everton’s strong start to the campaign.
On top of that, it has now been revealed that Grealish has created nearly twice as many chances as any other English winger in the Premier League, proving how impactful his performances are.
While not all of his chances are being converted into assists, the fact that he’s creating so many makes Tuchel’s decision to omit him confusing.
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Grealish’s sensational performances for the Toffees immediately won over the fans, and Tim Sherwood believes England will call him up if he can maintain the same standard.
The fact that he’s outperforming all of his fellow English wingers is a positive sign for Grealish, and it will raise questions about Tuchel’s decision not to select him.
A winger’s job is to be creative and provide as many opportunities as possible for others, and the statistics prove that Grealish is doing that regularly.
Thomas Tuchel looks foolish for not giving Jack Grealish an opportunity
One of the biggest problems England fans often have with the team selection is players not being chosen on merit, based on the performances that they’re delivering at club level.
Over the years, this has improved, with many more players from the traditional ‘big six’ now being selected. However, leaving Grealish out of the squad baffled people as it goes against that notion.
While Ben Foster claimed Grealish is “too old” to be considered by Tuchel, other players, such as Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane, are older than him.
With Marc Guehi providing two of England’s assists against Wales, it’s clear that the Three Lions still need someone creative in the final third to unlock the door, and all the signs point to Grealish being the man capable of that.