England manager Thomas Tuchel has doubled down on his controversial squad selection for this month's international fixtures, insisting his priority is building a cohesive "team" rather than simply collecting the most talented individuals.
The German coach once again defended the decision to leave out star names Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish for Thursday's friendly against Wales and the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
Sticking with Success
Tuchel's selection policy has come under scrutiny as time runs short before next summer's World Cup, but he is determined to maintain the momentum generated by the last camp in September. That squad secured a 2-0 win over Andorra before delivering the best performance of Tuchel's reign so far with a 5-0 thrashing of Serbia.
On the eve of the Wembley friendly against Wales, Tuchel was quizzed on the importance of continuity versus integrating key players. He pointed to a philosophy focused on collective strength.
"We can only make it happen [a World Cup win] if we arrive with a strong, strong team," said Tuchel. "I just watched a documentary on the New England Patriots and saw a quote there: 'We don't collect the most talented players, we build a team'. I cannot agree more. That's what we're trying to do."
He confirmed that the decision to stick with the established group meant omitting the likes of Bellingham, Foden, and Grealish, who were all left out of the latest squad.
Kane Sits Out Wales Friendly
While Tuchel is focused on team-building, his line-up for the Wales match will be enforced by injuries.
The England captain and talisman, Harry Kane, will miss the friendly at Wembley due to a foot problem. Tuchel also noted that four players from the successful September starting XI are already unavailable for this month's camp due to various issues.
Mark Wainaina (RGK)