Thomas Tuchel has named his first England squad since the World Cup and used the occasion to push back at the criticism that followed England’s semi-final defeat, arguing that the overwhelming majority of supporters he meets are focused on the positives. The head coach said 99.9% of fans he had bumped into had not raised his substitutions during the Argentina game, and that the conversations he has tend to dwell instead on the knockout wins over Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The squad has been chosen for the start of the Nations League, which opens with a home game against Spain before fixtures against Czechia and Croatia. It also arrives with the World Cup still fresh in the memory. England led Argentina 1-0 early in the second half of that semi-final in Atlanta and then retreated, and the manner of the exit stung Tuchel. He took pride in the response three days later, when England beat France 6-4 to claim the bronze medal, and at Wembley on Friday he joked that his bosses at the Football Association had told him off for his defensive changes against Argentina before insisting the narrative should be directed by the France result.
There is a counter-argument to the head coach’s reading of the mood. The number of supporters who have moved on is impossible to quantify, and the argument runs that a significant share of the fanbase is not ready to forget how England folded after taking the lead in Atlanta.
Looking forward is complicated by the fact that the new squad can only be judged against what happened at the World Cup. Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney have been dropped from the 26 players selected last summer. Tuchel suggested his initial intention had been to maintain continuity from that group, but injuries to Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, John Stones, Reece James, Djed Spence and Jordan Henderson forced a shift, opening room for call-ups that give the squad a sense of renewal.
The recall of Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the more intriguing decisions. The Real Madrid right-back had not been selected since June 2025, has been in fitful form under José Mourinho in Spain and has never established himself in an England shirt. Tuchel does not intend to use the 27-year-old as a midfielder, and it is fair to ask whether he would be involved at all had Spence, James or Ben White been available. For Alexander-Arnold, the task is to stay in the picture for November. Tuchel’s message to the newcomers was that a call-up has to be followed by performing for England.
He has also been clear that he has had no sleepless nights over his World Cup squad and wants to preserve the brotherhood and team spirit built during the tournament. The tactical questions, though, remain. There was a notable pause from Tuchel when a reporter linked the selections of Alexander-Arnold, Alex Scott and Cole Palmer to whether England had enough forward passers at the World Cup, and his comment after the Argentina game that ball possession is not part of England’s DNA still lingers. After his appointment he spoke about England tapping into the pace and power of the Premier League; at the World Cup their only sustained full-throttle display was the second half of the win over Croatia in the opening game. Otherwise they leaned on stout defending and moments of inspiration from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Tuchel says he wants greater balance and for his players to be able to rest with the ball at times, but he is more inclined to “embrace the chaos” and try to replicate the fury of that Croatia second half. He has also pointed out that England were not the “most economical” side and that the intensity of the Premier League takes a lot out of his players, while international football is so often controlled by the smartest passing teams.
Midfield is where the debate sharpens. With Declan Rice flagging against Argentina, England needed legs alongside Elliot Anderson and had few alternatives: Jordan Henderson had a broken wrist and is 36. Kobbie Mainoo was selected but not used, an oversight Tuchel accepts by saying he has a duty to look at the Manchester United midfielder properly this time. Myles Lewis-Skelly was playing well in Arsenal’s midfield at the end of last season and Scott was shining for Bournemouth; both are in this squad. Adam Wharton is not.
There are other calls that invite argument. Morgan Gibbs-White and Josh King are unfortunate to miss out, and Liam Delap could have been chosen ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Kane’s deputy. Yet the group has quality across the pitch and an injection of youth, with Rio Ngumoha, Liverpool’s teenage winger, part of the new wave. Jarrad Branthwaite appears to have edged Levi Colwill out in central defence, Lewis Hall can advance his case at left-back, and the decision to leave out Madueke in favour of Palmer points to a more versatile attack after England picked like-for-like players in almost every position at the World Cup.
England begin their Nations League campaign against Spain at home, and far more than 0.1% of supporters will be watching to see whether Tuchel has learned from what went wrong in Atlanta.