Thomas Tuchel believes Cole Palmer has "struggled" over the last few months at Chelsea as the England boss faces a creative dilemma in the Three Lions squad.
Tuchel offered a candid assessment of his players, acknowledging that his England side hasn't gelled as hoped and emphasised the necessity for player connections to improve. The Three Lions manager voiced concern over the form of both Palmer and Phil Foden, who have both faced challenges at their clubs.
The duo, who are two of England's most promising talents, have both had frustrating seasons. Foden's form at Manchester City dipped so much that he didn't even make the squad for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra on Saturday and the friendly with Senegal at Nottingham Forest's City Ground on Tuesday. Palmer was substituted during the Andorra game and has rarely shown his best form for England when starting matches, although he did make a great impact off the bench during last summer's Euros, reports the Mirror.
"At the moment, I think that even Cole struggled lately at Chelsea to have an impact. Phil, unfortunately, struggled over many months now to have the impact that he can have," Tuchel said.
"So, the question would always be: 'Do we then invite them and create an atmosphere that he can still perform here?' It's difficult to prescribe freedom, to play with freedom and suddenly everyone plays with freedom.
"We haven't done that yet, but it's also not the moment to look only on the negative side. We have a lot of positives to take away in training and in the sessions I see a lot of it, and it will take a little bit to translate it to the pitch."
Tuchel also pondered whether it boils down to pressure and the age-old issue of the England shirt being a burden. "I heard it many times, but what does it mean?" Tuchel queried.
"Like a heavy shirt? Do we expect too much? Don't we feel the freedom? Do we not feel the same freedom to express ourselves that we feel like in the clubs? Does Phil feel free in his club, is he really free in his club to express himself? Not since many months, he also struggles there.
"I do feel we need to increase the rhythm. I still think that we can increase the rhythm in our game, like finding the right players that can play together."
Despite these hurdles, Tuchel revealed that the England players and staff watched Sunday's Nations League final together and are confident they can hold their own against Spain and Portugal. He believes it's crucial for the team to recognise their potential.
"The level would increase immediately if we were all together in Munich at the stadium and playing against Portugal or Spain. We will rise to the occasion because it is very difficult. This will come. It will bring out the very best in us," the former Chelsea boss said.
"We shall not develop a complex because there is no need for it. Spain qualified for the final four with a very lucky win over the Netherlands. Everyone is beatable.
"Spain play together in a fluidity and a rhythm which is outstanding and the highest level. It is one of the most difficult things to do, to play Spain in a final. But we have what it takes to compete. We need to improve, for sure. We need to improve in connections, in support, in interactions in the group. I feel we are too isolated on the pitch. We have not clicked yet. I don't see it has clicked between the players.
"Like I said we train with a smile, we train very lively, we train with a lot of instructions. I feel the group in training and it comes easy, not easy, it is natural to them. We can be more exciting, which, I think, has been a bit of a problem for a long time. I feel we are a bit stuck, I feel like we are a bit serious. I see us train with a smile but not play with a smile. I think we need to get the balance right."