England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed the physical toll of selecting his national squad, admitting he experiences genuine stomach pain when delivering bad news to omitted players.
The Selection Headache
The German coach, who has taken to naming smaller squads to minimise disappointing players, faces what he describes as the "impossible job" of managing England's abundance of talent. Tuchel recently demonstrated his bold selection approach by omitting Jude Bellingham in October before benching him upon his November recall against Serbia.
"I just hate this talk to give Alex Scott the message 'you are not in the squad'," Tuchel confessed. "I don't like it, I have stomach pain." This discomfort has led to his strategy of smaller squad announcements, meaning only one or two players receive disappointing news per game rather than four or five.
Bench Strength as World Cup Advantage
Despite the selection difficulties, Tuchel believes England's strength in depth will become their greatest asset at the upcoming World Cup. The England manager emphasised that substitutes will be crucial in a tournament where winners play eight matches, potentially in extreme heat, following increasingly congested seasons.
His theory proved effective against Serbia, where the second goal came from a combination of three substitutes: Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and scorer Eberechi Eze. "One hundred per cent," Tuchel agreed when asked if England need goals from substitutes to win the World Cup.
"We need a good bench. We play in 40 degrees, and we will play after a long, long season. We are maybe the nation that suffers the most in international football from long seasons. We need to be ready to do substitutions until hopefully the late stages of the World Cup."
The Squad Mentality Challenge
Tuchel acknowledges that his plan requires certain star players to accept reduced roles for the national team. Regular starters for elite clubs may need to embrace being substitutes for England, following Phil Foden's example against Serbia where he adapted to play as a false nine and impressed in his cameo appearance.
"They will never be happy and they don't have to be happy," Tuchel stated. "No one is used to sitting on the bench, this is the nature of a strong national team. They come because they are regularly picked; they come because they are captains and key players in their team."
The manager stressed the importance of clarity in roles during tournaments. "The better player can also think about it and be honest, 'can I accept this, is it good for me, can I make the most of this for the team?'"
Tuchel drew from his Chelsea experience, recalling an "amazing run" where "everyone was pushing and fighting from the bench, even if they were not picked. And they were ready. This makes in the end the difference and I strongly, strongly believe we should arrive with a team like that."
England have already demonstrated this spirit in recent tournaments. During Euro 2024, substitutes made crucial contributions: Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the decisive penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Switzerland, Ollie Watkins netted an injury-time winner against the Netherlands, and Cole Palmer equalised in the final against Spain.
Interestingly, none of those three players feature in the current squad, though there remains hope for Watkins and the injured Palmer. With Harry Kane as the only specialist striker currently available, and Palmer representing one of many creative options when fit, Tuchel faces continued selection challenges.
The manager joked about the five-substitute limit, smiling: "I think we will not get another number so quickly out of Fifa. We have to adapt with five, and think outside the box and maybe worship even the extra slot we have at half time."
If England succeed in their World Cup campaign, it may well be through embracing what Tuchel has termed "the church of the half-time sub" and transforming selection headaches into tournament advantages.
