Nottingham Forest players were unexpectedly unrepresented in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, with his comments after the Albania win making his snubs even more strange.
After Morgan Gibbs-White was left out of the squad for Albania, Reds faithful were left frustrated once again about Tuchel’s decision-making in the early stages of his England management journey.
Forest fans chanted a sly dig at Tuchel in the win over Ipswich before the international break when Gibbs-White wasn’t even called up to the initial squad, but that frustration was at least calmed by his late addition.
However, Gibbs-White being left out of Friday’s game made it feel as if he was back in the same position that Callum Hudson-Odoi is, out in the cold despite his form at the City Ground warranting an opportunity.
His excellent displays under Nuno Espirito Santo left Forest fans calling for Hudson-Odoi’s England chance and judging off what Tuchel said about the wingers selected ahead of him, the ex-Chelsea man perhaps should’ve been on the pitch at Wembley.
Thomas Tuchel wasn’t impressed with his England wingers
Michael Owen was in awe of Hudson-Odoi for his decisive impact in the crucial victory over Manchester City, which once again helped to establish the Forest speedster as a player who rises to the occasion.
The same couldn’t be said for Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, who made little impact in the 2-0 victory over Albania.
"Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be."
Thomas Tuchel on Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford's performance against Albania tonight 📊 pic.twitter.com/10CammNhpr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 21, 2025
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Tuchel said: “Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be, as they normally are in club football. We lacked a bit of runs off the ball, not enough passing and dribbling. Not enough driving with the ball. Not aggressive enough towards goal.
“Individually, we can have more impact from the wingers.”
If it’s impact out wide that he wants, Forest fans will be able to tell Tuchel that Hudson-Odoi should’ve been his man, with the stats from the Premier League this season showing the 24-year-old directly excels in the areas that Tuchel was lacking.
Callum-Hudson Odoi would’ve addressed Thomas Tuchel’s issues out wide
Confidence in dribbling, accurate passing and aggressive impact are three things that the Forest coaching staff demand from Hudson-Odoi so he could’ve provided the perfect tonic to Tuchel’s concerns about England’s attacking penetration.
Statistic Callum Hudson-Odoi
Goals 5
Assists 2
Pass accuracy % 89.3%
Successful dribbles % 65.2%
Chances created per 90 1.75
Dispossessed per 90 1.05
Callum Hudson-Odoi for Nottingham Forest this season
His five goals in the Premier League this season is one more than Rashford has managed, but the underlying numbers are where the Reds winger shows his worth.
Hudson-Odoi has a remarkable pass accuracy of 89.3% this season which would’ve aided Tuchel’s concern about England in possession, whilst his strong dribbling success rate could’ve addressed the lack of directness head on.
Perhaps most impressive though is Hudson-Odoi’s reliability on the ball. For context, Rashford is dispossessed 2.43 times per match in the league this season which shows how impressive the Forest man’s figure of 1.05 is, potentially giving Tuchel more confidence in maintaining attacks.
Hudson-Odoi impressed Pep Guardiola in the City win so it’s bizarre to think that Tuchel wouldn’t feel the same way, especially now that he has revealed exactly what he needs to see from his England wingers.