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Thomas Tuchel said on Friday he has no fears after leaving ‘extraordinary talents’ out of England's World Cup squad, boldly stating his aim is to win the tournament.
The German coach omitted a clutch of big names for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Harry Maguire, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White and Luke Shaw are others overlooked as Gareth Southgate's successor made an eye-catching selection.
Saudi-based Ivan Toney was the most surprising pick, having played just a handful of minutes as a substitute since Euro 2024. England are among the favourites at the World Cup, 60 years after they won their only major international trophy.
Tuchel told a press conference at Wembley that the balance of his squad was more important than picking star names. ‘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 the best 26 most-talented players,’ he said. ‘Teams win championships, it's as simple as that.’
The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss admitted he had had to make painful decisions but said he had ‘no fear’ over his choices. ‘It was a given that from these 55 players (in the provisional squad), we have to leave some extraordinary talents and extraordinary personalities at home,’ he said.
The 52-year-old added: ‘I like these kind of decisions, even if it took us weeks and sometimes months to verify the decisions. I think they bring clarity, I think they bring a certain edge in the end that is necessary.’
Tuchel, appointed with a brief to win the World Cup, said he wanted to create a ‘brotherhood’ and believes England have the world-class players to make a difference.
‘The goal is to try to win it and not be shy about it, and then just to respect the game and the opponents and the amount and the obstacles that come with the tournament itself,’ he said.
Tuchel admitted the selection of Toney, who plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, was ‘a bit of a surprise to us’ but said he ‘ticks some boxes that we wanted’.
The former Brentford striker has scored 32 goals in 32 league games this season. ‘I think he has very special skills that could help us, meaning the situation, the scenario when we are chasing a result, when we are chasing a goal,’ added Tuchel.
‘I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane. He can be a presence in the box when we are pushing for a goal. He is a natural finisher, he can help us with set pieces, he is very strong in the air, very good in using his body.’
England kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 with group games to follow against Ghana and Panama.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento, Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi, John Stones, Nico O'Reilly (all Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/ESP), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli/KSA), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona/ESP), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
