Micah Richards has described Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave Bukayo Saka as an unused substitute in England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina as 'bizarre', following Saka's hat-trick heroics in the bronze-medal match against France.
Saka's Hat-Trick Against France
Saka scored three goals as England beat France 6-4 in a thrilling contest in Miami, becoming only the fourth England player to complete a World Cup hat-trick after Sir Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. The 24-year-old Arsenal winger ended the tournament with a goal or assist every 59 minutes he played.
'Of course, I would love to have played more but it's too late to talk about that,' Saka told the BBC. 'I try to do my talking on the pitch and it's done now. So let's move on. I'm fit.'
Tuchel's Substitution Choices
Just three days earlier, Saka was an unused substitute as Argentina came from behind to eliminate England in the semi-finals. Instead, Tuchel sent on Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly, Dan Burn, Ivan Toney and Marcus Rashford in the closing stages. Tuchel defended his decisions amid widespread criticism.
Richards, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, said: 'I understood why Tuchel played Morgan Rogers in that [Argentina] game for the transitions, but for him [Saka] not to come on… We've been talking about Saka and his fitness. Him and Rice, their fitness all tournament has been a question, but for him not to feature is just bizarre. I can't get my head around why you wouldn't have Saka.'
Fitness Concerns
There were concerns about Saka's fitness entering the tournament due to an Achilles problem, and Tuchel admitted the attacker was not '100 per cent' before the group-stage clash with Croatia. However, Saka's performance against France raised questions about his omission.
Former England striker Alan Shearer also expressed puzzlement: 'We were always told he wasn't quite right, he wasn't 100 per cent fit, and if he wasn't fit then he wasn't going to start him. So yeah, it was strange that he didn't at least come on in that semi-final and then to start against France. But it was brilliant for him scoring a hat-trick.'
Mainoo's Absence
Another topic of debate was Tuchel's handling of Kobbie Mainoo, who did not play a single minute for England during the tournament. An official statement confirmed the Manchester United midfielder was ruled out of the bronze-medal match due to injury.
Gary Lineker said: 'When he performed for Manchester United last season he was absolutely terrific and England at the Euros two years ago. Unless there's some mystery issue then it's quite baffling to me.'
Richards speculated that Mainoo's playing style may not have suited Tuchel's system: 'Maybe he doesn't fit into the way Tuchel wants to play because if you look at Kobbie Mainoo, he's someone who wants to get on the ball. We've talked about the players who were left out, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, they liked to get on the ball as well. Maybe he just wasn't suited to what Tuchel wants to do.'
