Thomas Tuchel has thrown Cole Palmer’s England future into major doubt, questioning whether the Chelsea attacker actually wants to be part of his squad after the 24-year-old withdrew from the current camp with a minor muscular injury.
Tuchel did not hold back on the latest absence, warning that Palmer has missed too many opportunities to play for his country. Palmer has only 14 caps to his name, and his decision not to join up this week caused disappointment given that he had been left out of Tuchel’s World Cup squad after struggling with form and fitness last season. He had since earned a high-profile recall on the back of a strong start to the campaign, having played in all of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this season before pulling out.
The England head coach, who has placed a lot of store in team spirit and is clear about wanting commitment, declined to take the diplomatic route when it was put to him that the former Manchester City player does not appear desperate to play for England. “Hard to argue against what you’re saying,” Tuchel said.
That line came with a warning for Palmer. “He misses too many camps,” Tuchel said. “That’s the overall headline. We have a lot of invitations and he couldn’t make this one. It is what it is. I am not ready to focus on players who are not here. The players that are here have my full attention. It is a missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I don’t blame him for it. It is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries, and I only want to rely on what I witness within my team, and for that you have to be in camp.”
The idea of asking Palmer to report for duty simply to build connections within the group never crossed Tuchel’s mind. “To bring someone and take away capacity from our physios, it’s not helpful,” he said. “This is about the guys who are here and this is where the energy goes.”
England open their Nations League campaign by hosting Spain at Wembley on Saturday evening, and Tuchel is not short of alternatives to Palmer. Morgan Gibbs-White was called up as Palmer’s replacement from a holiday in Dubai. “It leaves us with Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze,” Tuchel said. “All in camp. All desperate to be here. All available. And all ready to go, ready to stop a holiday after one day in Dubai.”
Palmer was not the only player to withdraw, though Tuchel has no issue with Tino Livramento, who missed Newcastle’s win over Hull last weekend. Concerns over the withdrawals of Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford were also brushed aside, while Declan Rice, also unavailable, was given a pass, having played through pain at the World Cup and carrying a draining workload. “Every case is individual and if Declan calls me and explains to me and I actually see him play v Brighton, I see straight away on TV that something is off,” Tuchel said. “He just confirmed that impression. Every case is different and I knew from Marcus, I knew from Kobbie that they play with discomfort.”
England go into the game against the world champions hoping to make a statement after the disappointment of their World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina, and there has been plenty of focus on English football’s DNA. Morgan Rogers argued that Tuchel’s side are capable of keeping the ball if they take a 1-0 lead against Spain, with the pain of the Argentina loss still lingering. “We’re definitely good enough to do it,” he said. “But there’s not many teams in the world who can do that, especially in a World Cup semi-final in that moment. I was on the pitch, I felt it, we’re doing everything we can not to let them score and sometimes that can be a negative thought. It is about keeping that calmness and composure. As heartbreaking as it was, I’m hoping that experience will put me and the group in massive stead going forward, that in those situations we can remember how it felt when the whistle went in that game, of how the last half-hour felt. It just felt a bit sour, the way it ended.”
Rogers also accepted that other forwards need to lower England’s reliance on Harry Kane and Bellingham for goals. “They’re not going to be here for ever,” he said. “They might not be here for a camp or whatever, and other people need to step up. Starting now, the World Cup is done.”
Tuchel still has a call to make at right-back, where Jarell Quansah is competing with Trent Alexander-Arnold. The uncapped Alex Scott hopes to get the nod over Myles Lewis-Skelly and James Garner in midfield.