England open World Cup Group L against Croatia amid Tuchel selection and squad debates

Why Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden are not playing for England at the World Cup

England have left a number of big names behind (Picture: Getty) England finally get their World Cup campaign underway tonight with a clash against Croatia in Dallas. Thomas Tuchel’s side have been installed as one of the favourites to lift the trophy in next month’s final, owing to embarrassment of riches in the Three Lions squad. But England have also left plenty of talent back at home, with Tuchel having had the unenviable task of whittling down his options into just 26 places for the tournament. The likes of Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden are the most notable exclusions and will be watching the World Cup at home this summer like the rest of us. Don't miss anything from the World Cup Still got it (Picture: MB Media/Getty Images) A Lionel Messi hattrick. A Kylian Mbappe screamer. Erling Haaland's first World Cup goals. We've got it all in today's World Cup newsletter. Oh, and we're looking ahead to England's crucial opener against Croatia. Sign up here. Cole Palmer The Chelsea star’s omission from the England squad was undoubtedly the biggest shock of all and would have been unthinkable a year ago. Tuchel has instead elected to go with Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze as his options in the No10 role, whilst Noni Madueke has been preferred as Bukayo Saka’s understudy on the right wing. Tuchel could find no room for Palmer in his squad (Picture: Getty) Explaining his decision to leave Palmer behind, Tuchel said: ‘I think he suffers from a lack of individual form within his club. ‘He was not as decisive or as influential as he was in the last seasons, throughout the whole season. Second of all, he was not very influential with us. His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him ‘no matter what, he is coming’. ‘That is just the reality of it. He had to pull out injured several times, when he was in camp he did not have the impact that we all wanted to push him for. ‘I can find a lot of arguments to have him in the squad. I respect his quality and his very unique personality, he was never a problem in camp, I think his personality helps him, even in big moments, to not show nerves, and to be decisive. ‘But to have these moments you need also to be in shape, you need to be influential within this group and he has just failed to prove it, on a consistent level. It was one of the most difficult phone calls and obviously one of the most prominent names that we leave out, but I refuse to bring players for the name and I refuse to then play them out of position just to give them something. ‘It is a very difficult and a very hard decision. There is no question about his talent, there is no question what he can give you in special moments, but the decision was still against him.’ Harry Maguire Maguire had enjoyed a strong season at Manchester United and was rewarded with an England recall for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March. However, Maguire’s stay in the squad was short-lived, with Marc Guehi, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Jarell Quansah selected as Tuchel’s five centre back options. Maguire was vocal about Tuchel’s decision (Picture: Getty) As news of his omission started to leak, Maguire took to social media to voice his displeasure at not being called up to play for England at his third World Cup. ‘I was confident I could of [sic] played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had’, Maguire said on X in May. ‘I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer.’ Maguire’s family added to the noise around his snub, with his wife posting: ‘Beyond devastated for you. There was nothing else you could have possibly done to prove your worth. I don’t need to tell you how admired you are, just a shame you were up against a single opinion.’ Maguire’s mum insisted she was ‘absolutely disgusted’ with the decision, while his brother labelled it a ‘shamble’ and his sister called it ‘crazy’. Reacting to Maguire’s decision to air his grievances in public before the England squad had officially been announced, Tuchel said: ‘I was a bit surprised, but I respect his personality a lot. I respect his quality a lot. He had an outstanding season. I can see the disappointment. I can see the reason behind the disappointment. ‘Still, I was a bit surprised, because we had a private conversation in which he had the chance to express his feelings, which he did. This is fair enough, because I can see all the reasons why he could be in the squad, but the decision is that we stood firmly with our central defenders that carried us through September, October, November. Some of them are part of the leadership group that took ownership and set the standards high.’ Phil Foden Such had been Foden’s drop-off in form for Manchester City in the second half of last season, the 26-year-old’s absence from the final squad barely registered amongst many. Foden’s last goal in the Premier League for City came in December, with only three assists to his name since then. Foden has struggled for form in recent months (Picture: Getty) Such a barren run for his club was always likely to result in Foden failing to make the cut, notwithstanding the fact that the Manchester City academy graduate has often failed to show his best form in an England shirt throughout his international career. ‘With Phil it’s a little bit different because Phil was excellent in camp for us. He was not only excellent in training, but also off training. He was open, he was in good spirits’, Tuchel said. ‘And it hurt me a lot, actually, to call him and to tell him this decision. I could see in his reaction how much it affects him, how much it would have meant for him to come. ‘But I think, like with Cole [Palmer] and especially with Phil, he lost momentum in a crucial moment of the season and basically the last half of the season, we could see glimpses here and there but not a lot of evidence.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

12 hours ago

England have the best player in the world right now – this World Cup will be our time

England begin their campaign against Croatia tonight (Picture; Getty) In his exclusive column for Metro, former England World Cup star David James looks ahead to the Three Lions’ opening Group L clash against Croatia and why this team is finally ready to end 60 years of hurt. I’m an England fan first and foremost so I always go into tournaments thinking we are going to win. And I do think we can do it because I look at what the manager has brought to this group of players. The way that he talks, the manner in which he has picked the squad, I just think there is a new style and new belief. I like the way he has balanced the squad and he has articulated very well how and why he has picked the players. More importantly, the players understand their roles which was key in his squad announcement. We have the quality and we have the best player in the world at the moment in Harry Kane. We have threats elsewhere in many other positions and defensively as we proved in qualifying with no goals conceded, we are sound. Only three teams in qualifying didn’t concede goals, England, Tunisia and Ivory Coast. If it was that easy, everyone would have done it. I’ve got a feeling of comfort that this could be our time. Don't miss anything from the World Cup Still got it (Picture: MB Media/Getty Images) A Lionel Messi hattrick. A Kylian Mbappe screamer. Erling Haaland's first World Cup goals. We've got it all in today's World Cup newsletter. Oh, and we're looking ahead to England's crucial opener against Croatia. Sign up here. England better equipped with Tuchel in the dugout Gareth Southgate has to be applauded for where he got the team, I know there wasn’t a trophy at the end of it but that last era of players surpassed everything bar what the legendary 1966 squad did. With Thomas, he has put his own stamp on it. He understands the mentality of players in the big moments rather than just picking the best players. He has identified what he needs in those big moments. It is all new for him, of course. We had this with Fabio Capello back in 2010. Fabio was an extremely successful manager at club level. But when taking a club to European or domestic success, you don’t have to navigate that six-to-eight week tournament. Yes, you do a whole season but that is very different. With the quality Thomas has got with these players and the experience he has, he will be able to identify what he needs and I have confidence he has got enough. Kane the best player in the world right now (Picture: Getty Images) How Tuchel compares to Capello and his England reign I don’t know the guy, but from everything I know about Thomas Tuchel, he is a hard manager. But he is willing and able to explain why he is doing the things he is doing. I know Fabio well and meet him quite often and he’s a very decent bloke. When he was a manager, he was hard but he didn’t always explain his reasoning a lot of the time. Tuchel not scared to make the big decisions (Picture: Richard Pelham/Getty Images) In qualification ahead of the 2010 World Cup, we were one game away from being perfect. There was an understanding that the way he was going to do things would bring success but when we got to the finals, all of a sudden that way just wasn’t going to work for that six-to-eight weeks in South Africa. We didn’t have the same environment. I think the fact Tuchel is very articulate and wants to talk to players helps. Gareth created the environment where players are open to talk on England duty. So this feels like an evolution of that whereas with Fabio, the success he had at club level wasn’t translated. With Thomas, we have the opportunity to translate all the club qualities into international management. Capello’s reign in charge was a failure (Picture: Michael Regan/Getty Images) England finally have Croatia’s number I say this respectfully to Croatia because they have had world class players over the years. But we have a lot more availability and ability to control the game now. We have more well-rounded players now. It comes down to another thing Tuchel has said and that is players knowing their roles. We don’t need one player to control everything. Some of the players omitted from the squad have a lot of individual controlling skills, but not necessarily to benefit England going far in the tournament. Luka Modric is undoubtedly still magnificent but he will have lost some of the super ability and the super powers he had which is what age does and someone will have to cover for that. Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Elliot Anderson, all of our midfield players are in their prime or in very good form now and therefore what we’ve got is just a better fitting squad. I see England beating Croatia quite comfortably. England need to win and will win. Modric looking to thwart England again (Picture: Getty Images) Set piece strength will be vital Croatia’s coaches and analysis department will know what England players will do in certain situations and set up in a way to make it very difficult. It won’t be easy.  We saw the Czech Republic score on the opening day of action and it looked like it was directly from a Premier League game. There is a part of breaking teams down in games that has become much harder for most teams to the point where they have to get in a position where set plays are crucial. With England, teams are going to be cautious, defending with a low block and scoring goals from open play will be more difficult than usual. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, there are half a dozen players that will fancy themselves as being the guy who puts the ball in or shoot direct and we are in a very strong position for those moments. James was part of the England team that fell short in 2010 (Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images) Don’t expect to see the same team I don’t think the team against Croatia picks itself by any stretch. This isn’t just about beating Croatia. This is about winning the group and being in a position that when you get to the knockouts you have the right players when you need them. So whatever the starting XI is against Croatia, I will be very surprised if we see that exact starting XI again. I think there will be plenty of rotation. The weather is a factor but it is also the amount of games that are going to be played in such a short period of time. There will be the expectation that we win every game but I don’t think there will be the expectation that we do that with the same XI. We’ve got players who can fill multiple positions. I’m confident everyone there knows what they are doing and what is expected of them, even if they are filling in for 15 minutes or 20 minutes to go, they will be the right person. We have got a manager in Thomas who is taking on equal responsibility in everything. He sounds very different when he talks about the team, in a very exciting way. These players know the manager has picked them for a reason. And it feels different this time. David James wrote for Metro ahead of England’s opening World Cup game against Croatia. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

23 hours ago

Joe Cole makes bold England claim with Gareth Southgate comparison before World Cup opener

Former England winger Joe Cole (Picture: Getty) Joe Cole believes England’s World Cup campaign will ‘not end well’ if Thomas Tuchel makes a similar mistake to his predecessor Gareth Southgate. England kickstart their tournament against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, with the Three Lions looking to go one further than their runners-up finish at the European Championship two years ago. It has not been the perfect build-up for England, who have to deal with equipment thieves and a change to their 26-man squad following an injury to Tino Livramento. But warm-up victories against New Zealand and Costa Rica have Tuchel’s side hopeful of laying down a marker after slip-ups from several of the favourites in the early stages of the tournament. Don't miss anything from the World Cup Crunch time beckons for Thomas Tuchel (Picture: FA via Getty Images) We've got the latest from the England camp, previews of the biggest games and everything you missed overnight in our daily World Cup newsletter. Sign up here. Tuchel is still weighing up a couple of selection dilemmas ahead of England’s opener, particularly which one of Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham will start behind Harry Kane. The German tactician hinted earlier in the week that he could ‘easily’ play both attacking midfielders in the same system, having previously played Rogers out on the right wing for England. But former England winger Cole has insisted that Tuchel must not fall back into England’s old habit of trying to crowbar all of their best players into the same starting lineup. Thomas Tuchel is bidding to end England’s wait for a second World Cup (Picture: Getty) ‘I think his approach thus far has been really refreshing,’ Cole told Metro. ‘I think going back to Gareth, he came in on the back of an era when we lost our way for about four years, it wasn’t great and the standard of players had gone down for whatever reason. ‘So we had an opportunity just to get players in, got good camaraderie, built a system and then he went from that.  ‘But then all of a sudden, players become superstars and then we sort of went back into the old era towards the back end of Gareth, where I think he probably felt it wasn’t just 11 men out there. ‘A few of them had gravitas now, they were champions, they were this, they were that, so I felt Gareth was battling against falling back into the old way. England face Croatia on Wednesday (Picture: Getty) ‘Thomas has come and gone right, bang, we’re resetting. We’ve got all of these great players, champions and some of them are superstars: Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, but I am the boss. ‘And I think he’s done that and he’s chosen a way to play, chosen a philosophy, chosen a type of player that he wants, and he’s going to run with it. ‘I’m personally very excited about that, so long as he sticks with that approach. If he falls back into those old ways, it’s not going to end well.’ ‘We are so bad at pitting players against each other’ Old pals Rogers and Bellingham now vying for the same spot in the team (Picture: Getty Images) After months of speculation, it is Bellingham who appears to be in the driving seat to start at No10 ahead of Rogers in England’s World Cup opener. The Real Madrid star impressed in England’s two warm-ups, but Cole is adamant that Rogers will also have a pivotal role to play if England are to reach the latter stages of the tournament. ‘I think we’ve got to get out of the habit of, and we won’t, because everyone wants to know who’s going to start,’ he added. ‘We all like to compare, ultimately we’ve got to forget about the individuals, and it’s about the collective.  Cole is an ambassador for Enterprise’s #OnEveryCorner program (Picture: Enterprise) ‘I think we’re so bad at that in this country, and I had it myself, with pitting players against each other. You’re an individual at heart as a footballer, because you fight so hard just to become a footballer, and then you’ve got to put your ego to the side, give yourself to your team every week. ‘And if the game finishes, and you might have played and you might not have played, but you’ve still got to have a dinner together. It’s a real complex thing that you’ve got to manage. ‘These boys have got to go into this tournament knowing that some of them are going to be the superstar, some of them are going to play every minute, some of them are going to play no minutes, but regardless of their own personal situation, they’ve got to give themselves to the group, and that goes with whoever’s starting, whoever’s not.’ POLL Poll Will England win the World Cup Yes - it's coming home! Check No - four more years of hurt...Check After the match-up against Croatia, England will round out their group-stage campaign with fixtures against Ghana and Panama. And if England are to go deep in the tournament, Cole said fans will have to pay little attention to their England’s group-stage performances. ‘We don’t know what this Thomas Tuchel team will truly be capable of because the way you play against Ghana and Croatia would be very different to how you play against Argentina and Brazil and Spain,’ he said. ‘So I want to see us really good off the ball, really tight on set pieces, and I want to see speed, aggression, physicality, dribbling from Gordon, Rashford, Saka, Madueke, Bellingham, and Harry Kane is Harry Kane so he’s going to score goals. ‘If we can do all of that, we’ll be in with a real good shout.’ Joe Cole was speaking to the Metro as part of his role as ambassador for Enterprise’s #OnEveryCorner program, which gives fans in the UK and Ireland a chance to win a car when a corner kick leads to a corner kick goal. To enter, participants must post #OnEveryCorner and #Sweepstakes and tag @Enterprise on X or via OnEveryCorner.com from June 11 to July 19, 2026. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

1 day ago