No Phil Foden, no Cole Palmer - has Thomas Tuchel got big England World Cup squad calls right?

England’s World Cup squad has been officially released after earlier press leaks. Headlines focused on the absence of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold also left out. The decisions cannot be fully judged yet, but they appear defensible based on tournament squad structure. During Euro 2024, pundit calls suggested fitting many top attackers into one side, and similar thinking appeared after the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win. The article argues that such ideas are unrealistic because teams must defend at times. It states that tournament squads are often top-heavy, and that squads typically need only two players per position, with three goalkeepers mandatory. Extra defensive-minded players can be wasteful if roles remain settled, so remaining slots should prioritize additional attackers.

"The big headlines screamed about the absence of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer and, to a lesser extent, Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose England omission was so widely expected that it took a few outlets a moment to remind themselves he is a notable name. Has Thomas Tuchel got the big decisions right? We can't answer that yet, obviously. Only a gruelling summer's work will give us the answer. But from where we sit, it all looks supremely justifiable."

"Things got a bit ridiculous during Euro 2024, when several pundits somehow found themselves essentially suggesting with a straight face that Gareth Southgate ought to find a way to play Foden, Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Harry Kane all in the same side. There was a similar phenomenon during the Lionesses' Euro 2025 triumph, where there was a clamour for Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang to be promoted from super-subs to somehow playing alongside Lauren James, Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp."

"That is a transparently ridiculous way to think about the game: most sides do end up having to do a bit of defending at some point in a major tournament, after all. But it is a reflex encouraged by the often top-heavy nature of tournament squads - particularly the 26-man sides that go to men's tournaments. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week."

"Realistically, a squad needs at most two players for every position (three is mandatory for goalkeepers), and taking an extra defensive-minded player feels like a waste when you know those roles are likely to be relatively settled throughout the tournament. The greater incentive, then, is to fill the remaining slots with extra attackers, just in ca"

Read at www.fourfourtwo.com