The German media have delivered a strong reaction on Thomas Tuchel after seeing England’s squad for the 2026 World Cup finals.
Tuchel made several controversial decisions with his 26-man squad for this summer’s showpiece international tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold were among the highest-profile omissions.
Other players who missed the cut include Manchester United duo Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, who admitted he was “shocked” and “gutted” to be left out, Nottingham Forest’s in-form midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
"I think from day one we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players," Tuchel told reporters after his 26-man squad was announced.
"Teams win championships, it is as simple as that. What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team. With that in mind, we chose a very balanced squad.
"I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26, 100% committed players in camp with us who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.”
Thomas Tuchel
But while Tuchel is convinced he’s picked the best-possible England squad to win this summer’s World Cup, the German press clearly disagree. According to the Daily Mail, Henning Feindt, sports editor of German newspaper BILD, wrote this week:
“Tuchel has opted to leave out exceptional players like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Three of the ten most valuable players – CUT OUT.
“That would be like (Germany manager Julian) Nagelsmann dropping (Florian) Wirtz and (Joshua) Kimmich from the team in addition to the out-of-form (Jamal) Musiala. In short: madness – but also incredibly exciting.”
Feindt also believes Tuchel will be sacked unless England win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 due to the German tactician’s controversial squad selection.
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