The FIFA World Cup gets underway on Thursday, and Jamie Carragher has given his view on Thomas Tuchel's squad and how far England can go in the tournament
Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
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Jamie Carragher has branded FIFA president Gianni Infantino a disgrace and accused Thomas Tuchel of prioritising harmony over talent with his England squad. Carragher has taken aim at Infantino after FIFA were accused of working with unofficial resale platforms in an effort to sell tickets for low-demand World Cup games.
The governing body has also come in for criticism due to its high ticket prices, and Carragher didn’t hold back when talking about Infantino. He said: “He's a disgrace, that fella, [Gianni] Infantino – I can’t stand him. I really have a big problem with him.”
Carragher also believes Tuchel has prioritised harmony over talent after leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold and a host of other big names out of his squad for the World Cup.
Former Liverpool man Alexander-Arnold, along with Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Jarrod Bowen, all failed to make the German’s 26-man squad.
“I think when you look at the squad, Thomas Tuchel put energy, athleticism, and harmony over talent,” Carragher said on the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, a World Cup Special brought to you by Sky Bet.
“I think most people would probably say Harry Maguire is a better player than Dan Burn, but I know he loves Dan Burn in and around the squad.
“I know Anthony Barry a little and they put great story in this togetherness and how we're going to be as a group for, hopefully, six weeks.
Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England, talks to coaches Anthony Barry and Justin Cochrane during the International friendly between England and Wales at Wembley Stadium on October 09, 2025 in London, England.
Thomas Tuchel and Anthony Barry(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
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“But this is bigger than just having talent to play. We can't have anybody who brings the group down in any way or a negativity that they're not playing or they're throwing their arms about.
“This is about we're going to be a team and he's not daft, Tuchel, he obviously knows in Foden, Palmer, Trent, that they’re probably three of the most technical players we've got right now. But they're not in the squad.
“You look at how they're going to go about winning the World Cup - it won't be about playing amazing football or pressing, but set pieces are going to play a big part in it as well. So maybe that's in their idea, maybe also rotation?
“And the thing that I thought was interesting is when he picked the four wingers - Madueke, Saka, Gordon, and Rashford - normally when you're picking a squad, you'll think, okay, we'll have a quick one and then we might have one who gets between the lines but no, our wingers are just going to be fast.
“We're not going to have a Foden or a Palmer who maybe gets in the pockets. If Saka's not playing, Madueke’ just going to do the same thing.
“But it's about pace, it's about energy, it's about runners. It's not players getting between the lines. And if you go back to the last tournament, that was the criticism, wasn't it? At Southgate, there was almost too many of those players. He was trying to fit them in.”
England kick-off Group L against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday June 17, before playing Ghana on Tuesday June 23 and Panama on Saturday June 27.
And Carragher believes Jude Bellingham won’t be the England starting for his side’s opening game of the competition against Zlatko Dalic’s side.
“I think Tuchel's strong enough and has shown already how he's dealt with Jude Bellingham- he's left him out of a couple of squads,” he said.
"There's been things said. There's obviously a relationship to be worked on from both parties there, but I don't see a situation, unless Morgan Rodgers gets injured in the warmup games, where Jude Bellingham starts the first game.”
England's Jude Bellingham applauds the fans
Jude Bellingham following England's friendly against New Zealand
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The former Liverpool defender also believes Tuchel’s side will struggle this summer, saying: “At the end of your career, people say what are you proud of? And a lot of people say, I played in a couple of World Cups.
“I don't say that about myself. I don't think I enjoyed the experience. I didn't love it. I didn't come away thinking, wow, I was part of the World Cup.
“There was a lot of negativities. The team didn't do well, and with the media side of it, you didn't come away from it the way the lads, in 1990, did.
“And I do have a little fear - I think Gareth Southgate's going to be a lot more appreciated in the next five to 10 years, because I was a massive Southgate fan in terms of what he did with England and people saying he underachieved and what he should have done with this team.
“I think England will find it tough in this tournament, if I'm being totally honest. You look at the squad that's been picked and there's a lot of good players in there, but I class a lot of them as good Premier League players.
“I don't look at all of them and think, that's an international player there, and maybe that's just here we are with the squad at the moment. So, I wouldn't say I'm the most optimistic right now.”
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