00:00So, almost time for Thomas Tuchel to select the 26 England players he'll be taking to the World Cup this
00:04summer.
00:05It always feels like you have ample choice when you go to select your 26-man England squad ahead of
00:10a major tournament.
00:11But given the talent pool at Thomas Tuchel's disposal, it is inevitable that some big names are going to miss
00:17out.
00:17Well, it's always competitive to make an England World Cup squad, but I think in some positions, more so than
00:23ever, that is the case.
00:24And I think number 10 is certainly one of those. I would actually urge Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, to
00:31leave behind Cole Palmer of Chelsea and Phil Foden of Manchester City in favour of other number 10 options this
00:39summer.
00:39When I think about that, it feels ridiculous, really. I think if you'd spoken about that last summer, you'd have
00:46been laughed out of town, really.
00:48But Cole Palmer's had such a frustrating season at Chelsea. I mean, I'm speaking as the Chelsea correspondent and it's
00:54probably strange that I would advocate for him to be left behind.
00:57But he's just not been the same player that he was in the 2023-24 season, nor when he went
01:04to Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate and, of course, scored in the final against Spain, although England did lose that,
01:11of course.
01:11Cole Palmer's just lost a bit of his spark, I think, and he's just not the player that he was
01:15previously. Injuries have really impacted his season.
01:19In terms of the squad I'd select, Trent Alexander-Arnold would be on that list. I think in the last
01:24international break, Tuchel almost made it clear that he views Alexander-Arnold as seventh choice right back.
01:28But I think things have changed since then. Jed Spence hasn't been good enough for me to be in contention.
01:34Ben White will miss the tournament due to injury.
01:36Then there's a couple of factors that would give Alexander-Arnold the edge in my eyes. Firstly, the injury record
01:41of England's right back.
01:42I think Rhys James will be clearly first choice if he's fit and available, but that's never guaranteed.
01:47So I think it's too big a risk to rely on Tino Livramento as his backup.
01:52Livramento has a pretty sketchy injury history himself. He hasn't played for more than a month due to a thigh
01:57issue.
01:57So I'd go Alexander-Arnold in that regard. And also just on individual quality.
02:01If you're thinking, late in a match, England need a goal and they're chasing the game.
02:05You need a player to pick a pass or deliver a cross. I think you'd probably rank Alexander-Arnold over
02:10a lot of England's options.
02:11Further up the pitch, I don't think Phil Foden's done enough to make the squad, so he'd miss out in
02:15my list.
02:16Probably the biggest omission I've made from my squad for this Summer's World Cup is to leave out Phil Foden
02:21and Eber Echese
02:22to facilitate the Premier League's form midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
02:25Now, Gibbs-White has been in stellar form since the turn of the year, scoring 13 goals in all competitions
02:30to help Forrest steer clear of the relegation zone and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
02:36Arsenal's title win means the buzz around Eze is likely to intensify,
02:40but if we're going purely off performance, then Gibbs-White deserves a place ahead of him.
02:44Foden has lost his place in the Manchester City team and he's never really turned it on for England.
02:50He's only got four goals in 49 appearances for his country in his international career,
02:56so I would leave Foden and Palmer behind, despite the fact that they are some of England's biggest names.
03:00I think in the number 10 position, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eber Echese and Morgan Rogers all deserve to
03:08go ahead of them.
03:09Foden's drop-off, meanwhile, it's been well-documented and he's never truly impressed in an England shirt, even at his
03:14pomp.
03:15This energy-sapping World Cup is going to do him no favours and that's why I've elected not to select
03:20him.
03:21Gibbs-White is a wild-card option, but he comes into the tournament with momentum and confidence
03:25and realistically, that is all you can ask for from a player who is likely to have to make do
03:30with minutes off the bench.
03:32Noni Maduweke too, I probably wouldn't take him.
03:34I think Jared Bowen would get the edge and obviously there's an argument for taking both,
03:38but I just think Maduweke hasn't been consistent enough.
03:41And while Cole Palmer's had a pretty, really poor season by his standards,
03:45again, individual moments, you need someone to deliver something out of nothing.
03:49I would still back him over Maduweke if it came to it.
03:52And in midfield, I would suggest that Thomas Tuchel picks James Garner as a slightly controversial choice.
03:59I think Garner is certainly a bit more defensively-minded than some of the other players that are at his
04:05disposal.
04:06And I think, although he wouldn't play much game time, I think his set-piece delivery off the bench could
04:11be particularly beneficial.
04:12For Everton this season, he's shown his ability to deliver from free kicks and corners,
04:18as well as his ability to get back and produce tackles and interceptions at key moments.
04:22And Kobe Mayne would also miss out on my list.
04:25He's had a good season for Man Utd, particularly since Michael Carrick turned around.
04:28Before that, under Rupert Amrum, it almost looked like his United career could be over.
04:32I just think England have other players in midfield who probably offer what he does.
04:36And so if you're looking for something slightly different, I'd give Myles Lewis Kelly the edge.
04:40He would be in my squad.
04:41Obviously, he hasn't played much this season, but the last few weeks have sort of been a reminder of what
04:46he can offer.
04:47So impressive against Atletico Madrid.
04:49Last season in the Champions League, he had a huge performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
04:53Obviously, he has that added advantage of the versatility too.
04:56He can fill in at left-back, particularly with Nico O'Reilly.
04:59There'd be some good versatility there, rotations there.
05:01That's why I'd give Lewis Kelly the edge over Mayneu and my squad.
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