Tuchel says best players do not always make best team after Bellingham omission

Thomas Tuchel has said the best ­players do not always make the best team and suggested Jude Bellingham might have been excluded from the latest England squad even if the ­midfielder were in peak condition after his return from a shoulder injury.

England’s head coach, who said there also might not have been a recall for Bukayo Saka if his fellow Arsenal winger Noni Madueke were fit, has placed a heavy focus on team spirit with his selection for next Thursday’s friendly at home to Wales and the World Cup qualifier in Latvia the following Tuesday.

Tuchel loved the energy in the camp when his side beat Andorra and excelled against Serbia without Bellingham last month and has seen no reason to alter the group dynamic. Yet that loyalty caused an inevitable stir when he decided not to restore some of his ­biggest creative talents on Friday. There was no place for ­Bellingham, who has started only once for Real Madrid this season, and no return for Phil Foden despite the attacker’s resurgence at Manchester City.

Tuchel was partially able to put Bellingham’s absence down to ­fitness. However, it was clear to the German that the Madrid midfielder wanted to be called up when the pair spoke on the phone. Tuchel apologised to Bellingham in August for saying that the player’s “edge” can come across in a way that “can be a bit repulsive”. This time Tuchel was keen to stress there is no problem between him and the 22-year-old but he came ready to defend the omission of England’s player of the year for 2024-25.

“We’re building the best team,” said Tuchel, who was even more forthright when it was put to him that sides who win the World Cup tend to pick their most dangerous ­forwards. “Do you have proof of that?” he said. “It doesn’t count what we did in the last camp? I have proof that last camp was our best camp. I stick with the squad.”

Tuchel believes the win over ­Serbia provided enough evidence not to pick Bellingham and Foden. ­Everton’s Jack Grealish was also left out.

“Don’t you think that ­behaviour on the bench, support from the bench, support from training, the ­competition, the ­togetherness ­enables the 11 to play like they played?” he said. “I strongly believe that. I felt it in ­Belgrade, behind me on the bench. It’s not against Phil, it’s not against Jack, it’s not against Jude. Even if you can turn it around and say it is, it is not. It is for the guys who were in camp and who performed at this kind of level.”

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka celebrates with Martin Ødegaard after scoring against Olympiakos. Photograph: Nigel French/Getty Images/Allstar

Tuchel indicated that the ­situation might have been the same if ­Bellingham was fully fit. “It would have been a different basis, but it could have been the same ­outcome,” he said. Emphasising he has no ­personal issue with Bellingham, he said: “To make it fully clear, we can have the same harmony, the same level of performance with him.”

England have plenty of options at No 10 – Morgan Rogers excelled against Serbia, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White have retained their spots – and Tuchel pointed out he had to reward those who have proved themselves to him.

“What would be my ­explanation to leave them out and also be ­authentic in my words?” he said. “After the ­Serbia match I went into the dressing room and I told them what I told you. Imagine then I have a phone call and leave four ­players out. What would you think as a player? For credibility as a coach you need to walk the talk.”

The only change was enforced, the injured Madueke dropping out for Saka, who has recovered from a ­hamstring strain. Tuchel, who insisted this squad should not ­automatically be read as a sign of his intentions for next summer’s World Cup, is keeping his players on their toes. He said there was a chance Saka would have missed out if Madueke were fit.

There was focus on another absent attacker, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who has a groin strain. Palmer has been unavailable for five of the past seven England camps, raising the prospect of him falling out of Tuchel’s plans given that there are only two camps before the World Cup after this month. Tuchel said he did not expect Palmer to play for Chelsea against Nottingham Forest on 18 October.

Tuchel did not name a direct replacement at full-back for the injured Tino Livramento. John Stones is back at centre-back after pulling out last month. Tuchel spoke to Foden, Grealish, Adam Wharton, Trevoh Chalobah and Curtis Jones about leaving them out but did not call Burnley’s Kyle Walker about his second consecutive omission.

Tuchel said he was in favour of England’s games at the World Cup kicking off as late as possible because of concerns over heat in Canada, Mexico and the US, even though fixtures starting in the small hours or middle of the night in the UK would cause complications for domestic supporters and broadcasters.

“I know the fans will not like it but for us it’s better if we play later,” Tuchel said. “For everyone it’s better to play later. If you do a run at 2pm in Charlotte then you know. We have put the players first. The players are the game and we have to protect the game.

“Midnight here, I understand that it’s bad for our fans, it’s bad for the children, bad for the young people who go to school, very bad. There will be a lot of drop-outs the next day at school.”