Thomas Tuchel explains his World Cup squad: The damning reasons why Cole Palmer was snubbed, how England boss was surprised by Harry Maguire’s ‘unnecessary’ reaction – and why Phil Foden’s omission ‘hurt’

The canceled names made as much headlines as the inclusions, and it wasn’t enough for Thomas Tuchel to minimize the dropped names simply by his own choice.

An hour after naming the World Cup squad, the England boss in the Wembley referees’ room explained in brutally candid terms why the likes of Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were shown red cards at the World Cup. All three participated in international competitions in March.

First, Maguire set the stage for a series of leaks that revealed the 26-man group on Thursday night due to his exclusion. The Manchester United defender responded by saying he was ‘shocked and devastated’ by the decision, while his mother Zoe described it as ‘disgraceful’.

It seems Tuchel is unimpressed with Maguire’s public reaction.

‘I’m surprised and I don’t think it was necessary,’ the head coach said. ‘I had a lot of respect for his personality and quality, he had an outstanding season. But I was still a little surprised because we had a private conversation when he was able to express his feelings and that was fair enough.

‘I felt his disappointment. I felt that you were sad. I can see all the arguments for him being in camp. But it’s just a decision, not a personal decision, just someone else’s decision. ‘There was no need for that (answer), let’s put it this way.’

Maguire’s mother Zoe (right) described the decision as ‘shameful’ in a social media post

Maguire probably deserved to be included and it’s a shame that his future prospects under Tuchel – who will remain at Euro 2028 – look bleak. He’s not alone in this.

Next is Palmer, who scored England’s goal in the 2-1 defeat of Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Tuchel says it was one of his toughest calls and the Chelsea playmaker “didn’t rush it”.

“First of all, I think he lacks individual form at his club,” Tuchel said. ‘He wasn’t as determined or effective as in previous seasons. Secondly, it did not have much effect on us. His performance with us wasn’t outstanding, it wasn’t good enough to make him say, “He’s coming no matter what.” It’s just his reality.

‘He went out a few times and got injured. It didn’t have the impact we all wanted to push it for when we were in camp. So I can find many arguments to cast him again, and I respect his quality and unique personality. He’s never caused any trouble in camp and I think his personality helps him to not show his nerves and be determined even in big moments. But to have those moments you also have to be fit, you have to be effective within this group and he hasn’t been able to prove that on a consistent level.

‘I refuse to bring in players and I refuse to play them out of position just to give them something. ‘I prefer to make the difficult decision up front, intimidate it and then push everyone.’

This last comment leads to Foden, a supreme talent who has never truly performed for Tuchel or any of his predecessors. He was included in England largely based on his excellent form at Manchester City. Since this was no longer available, there was little reason to book a flight.

‘With Phil it’s a little bit different (compared to Palmer) because Phil was excellent for us in the camp,’ Tuchel said. ‘He was excellent not only in training but also outside of training. He was open and in good spirits.

‘Actually, it made me very sad to call him and tell him about this decision. I could see from his reaction how much this affected him, how much it would mean to him to come. But I think, as with Cole and especially Phil, he lost his momentum at a crucial moment in the season. It’s basically the last half of the season. We could see brief glimpses here and there, but we couldn’t see much evidence. I wasn’t even sure what position he was in at the end. 10? False nine? Maybe there could be a role for Bernardo Silva as number eight in the future?

Tuchel admitted Cole Palmer was one of his toughest calls and the Chelsea playmaker “didn’t rush it”.

The England boss admitted he was unsure of Phil Foden’s position and said the Man City star had lost momentum for a significant part of the season.

‘Maybe he may not be on the wing anymore, so it doesn’t make sense for me to bring players in and have them play out of position in camp. This will only make them uncomfortable and unhappy.’

It was fascinating how Tuchel expanded the conversation to the philosophy behind his team.

‘(Whoever is chosen) doesn’t necessarily have to be the best and most talented player,’ he said. ‘This is the best team. We chose a very balanced squad. I can guarantee that we have 26 players who are committed to team spirit and self-sacrificing. We must choose the team we believe in and love. What really matters is who do we trust? Who delivered it? Who helped with culture? Who are the leaders? It’s about energy, connection and trust.’

The only player we thought he didn’t trust was Ivan Toney. The Al-Ahli striker played just three minutes under Tuchel in the defeat to Senegal last June, and his was the biggest shock of all.

But before he was recalled, Tuchel needed to discuss his effort, or lack thereof, with him last summer.

“I wasn’t happy with the June camp,” the German began. ‘He knows that and (recently) we’ve had to clear the air. This was the first step for me to start thinking about calling him again because I wasn’t happy. This was not a matter of his character. The level of education and commitment was not where we wanted it to be.

We then started talking in more depth about the team and different scenarios and what the most attacking formation would be if we were down 1-0 with 15 minutes left and needed a goal, balls were flying into the box as we were pushing and his name was coming up all the time. Ivan is part of the special operations team in this case.

‘He has a presence. Harry (Kane) likes to play with him because he thinks he takes the attention away from him. He’s an even more old-school No.9 than Harry himself. So, if it bounced into the penalty area, would he be a player you’d want the ball to fall on? Yes. Definitely. And we are trying to build a strong standing team. There he can take on his role in defense and attack. He is also a world-class penalty taker. Suddenly it ticks a lot of boxes.

‘We needed to talk to him again and clarify whether he was happy to come. After having another meeting and getting very good feedback from the club coach – very good feedback – and good feedback from the Euros in Germany, we decided to open the door again and invite him in.’

Toney walked right through that door, but the others’ doors were closed in their faces. Only in North America will it become clear whether Tuchel’s relentless clarity is the key to England’s success.