England World Cup squad: Why leaks revealed Thomas Tuchel’s team in advance
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire’s decision to publicly express his “shock and disappointment” on social media after being informed of his non-selection on Thursday has sparked criticism from some fans and pundits, who suggested the experienced defender should have waited for the official announcement before speaking out.
However, other players who did not comment publicly while reporting the news of their own situations were fully aware that the information would be leaked.
Tuchel’s predecessor, Gareth Southgate, was praised for creating an atmosphere of unity within his squad during his tenure and restoring a positive relationship between players and the public.
The first three players whose absences began to leak to journalists (Maguire, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer) were previously Southgate’s favourites.
So does the use of cheating by some players undermine Tuchel’s authority or does it reveal some kind of conflict?
The German openly expressed his displeasure with Maguire’s reaction.
“It wasn’t necessary to make it public,” Tuchel told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.
“I [already] He knew her reaction, her feelings about it. It didn’t help, but I understand his frustration and have a lot of respect for him as a player.
“[Leaks] it is the nature of these times. We called most of the players yesterday. [Thursday]. The players get frustrated and of course they talk and then too many people know, too many people want to know.
“We would have liked to have informed them earlier but we showed great respect to Aston Villa in the FA Cup final and the Europa League final.”
Asked whether Maguire had effectively proven Tuchel right, the German smiled wryly and said: “I didn’t say anything like that.”
Tuchel insisted in his press conference that the experienced players he selected from the squad helped him manage a difficult job.
“We have a good leadership group,” he added, but declined to name players he thought were part of it.
“They created a culture, set the tone, and paid attention to standards.”
Later, in an interview with BBC Sport, Tuchel repeatedly spoke of leadership, unity and dedication.
“It’s also about how to deal with disappointment,” he added.
“There will be disappointment throughout the tournament, so how can players react to that, how can they overcome their ego, their pride and still push their teammates?
“I don’t want to gamble on it and find out someone is fighting it in a tournament.”
Perhaps the leaks and reactions from the disappointed team reaffirmed Tuchel’s belief that he was making the right decisions.
