Leadership, risks, 'special feeling' and specialists - Martin Keown's verdict on Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup 2026 squad

Among the big names to miss out on places in the squad are Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire.

Ivan Toney is chosen as one of three strikers despite only previously playing seven minutes under Tuchel.

John Stones has been selected having only started four Premier League games for Manchester City this season, with Tuchel saying he has picked the ”best team” not necessarily the ”26 most talented players.”

Former England defender Keown gives his verdict on the squad, including where Tuchel has taken risks, who he has a "special feeling" about, who is unlucky to miss out and how the ”specialists” in the squad can play key roles.

Some of Tuchel’s choices might have raised some eyebrows but he has largely stayed loyal to the players who helped England qualify.

He also stressed in his press conference on Friday that chemistry is important and he wants to create a ”brotherhood” in the squad.

TNT Sports expert Keown went to two World Cups with England and says having a strong team spirit is key.

”This is Thomas Tuchel leading from the front," he says.

"He is picking the squad that he firmly believes can go all the way and win the World Cup.

”I think he obviously has a set of principles and ideals that he sticks to with his management and you can see that coming out with his selection.

”It's extremely important that there is harmony and that's where he's got this leadership group. And obviously someone like Dan Burn he didn't want to jettison from that.

”That harmony is very important, it allowed us to qualify. But ultimately, it's going to come down to the 11 on the pitch."

Harry Maguire elected to go public on the early news he received from Tuchel before it was announced, posting on social media the night before the official announcement that he was ”shocked and gutted” to miss out.

Maguire was a key player at major tournaments under previous England manager Gareth Southgate and was named in the Euro 2020 team of the tournament.

But he didn’t feature at all in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with Tuchel.

”Tuchel talked at his press conference about the core group of players involved in the hard miles to qualify for this tournament, which Maguire was not in,” says Keown.

"In the modern-day game there is talk of leadership groups where they identify key individuals. Clearly when it came to the crunch of picking between Maguire and Burn, despite Maguire being one of the best performers in the previous tournaments that England have played in and having a good season for Manchester United, Tuchel went for Dan Burn because of what he achieved in helping the team qualify for this World Cup.

”I do feel it is a risk but, in the end, that's loyalty. That's rewarding the players that have helped them to qualify.”

Chelsea’s Palmer and Manchester City’s Foden were two of the headline-making names to miss out.

Neither have been at their best this season for their clubs and Palmer only played one World Cup qualifier last year. Foden played in four qualifying games but was a substitute in three of them.

”Again, they weren't a part of the group starting in September, October and November,” says Keown.

"They will grab the headlines because they are gifted individuals. Tuchel is justifying it by saying he hasn't seen the best of those two. It's difficult and Tuchel must have agonised over whether he could have got one of them into the squad, but in the end decided to take neither, so he feels there are enough other creative players to be able to unlock defences.

”He's basically saying, 'This group, they've helped me to get here and I still feel we've got world-class players'.

"We always think of maverick talents at the World Cup, but neither of them has found any consistent form this season and Tuchel was prepared to gamble with John Stones and Djed Spence but not with Foden and Palmer."

Along with Palmer and Foden, there was no call-up for West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen or Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

”You have to say that if we are talking about the five of Alexander-Arnold, Palmer, Foden, Maguire and Bowen, it’s a big call,” added Keown.

”But equally if it wasn't these five it would have been another big five wouldn't it and that suggests that we've now got much more strength in depth from our English players.

”The quality that we have now is undoubted. I think we have to back this manager, that he's making the right calls. He is gambling though.”

Tuchel said in his press conference that in the squad he has chosen ”specialists for different scenarios.”

That could include specialists for set-pieces and also penalties, which might go some way to explaining the decision to call up Ivan Toney.

”If we need to chase a game, he's ideal in that situation,” said Keown.

”He's quite formidable in the box, a very good finisher, makes a good partner, and he's a strong penalty taker.”

As well as penalties, corners could also be another important focus for England.

”Set-pieces have now become a really key important point at the highest level,” says Keown.

”In the past we have seen lower-league teams being really good at set-pieces. Now Arsenal just won the Premier League and they're one of the best in Europe.

”Tuchel will look at that. He'll want to copy that. He's got both of the Arsenal corner takers in Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice in the squad, one from the right and one from the left.

”It would be remiss of him if he didn't try to feed that quality that's coming in with the players that can get on the end of these balls.”

Keown adds that the inclusion of Tottenham’s Spence is a surprise but that Tuchel might have a special role for him.

”It seems to me that Spence might be a marker, someone that, with his pace, he's given a marking job to do. In a semi-final perhaps, or quarter-final, we need to finish the game off and we put him on their key player. So you do need to have these types of players in your group.

”I think Spence was probably the biggest surprise but he's one of his specialists. He's someone who can play left-back and right-back, so he's two players in one. He admires his defensive qualities.

"I admire how he is sticking his neck out for this player and as a result he might get more from him than any domestic manager has done to date.

"From the outside looking at Spurs he seems to have suffered through the change of management recently, but Tuchel is showing a whole lot of faith in him."

Tuchel has always appeared to be a fan of Stones and the Manchester City defender gets into the squad despite not playing much this season owing to injuries.

Keown thinks it is a gamble but sees other defensive cover if Stones isn’t fit.

”He has a special feeling about John Stones.

”He is creating special circumstances for him - rarely has a player who has been involved in so few games got a call-up into the squad.

"He will have to do a mini pre-season and he's still going to have to prove his fitness but Tuchel has said that they've got time and an opportunity to get him to the level he needs to get to.

"It's critical how he manages his minutes on the training pitch, push too hard and we lose him completely, don't push enough and he's not sharp enough for top-level football. For me it's a gamble, but he has Ezi Konsa and Marc Guehi behind as cover.

”There are nine defenders and there'll only be four playing. So he's justified it by saying ‘I'll take those gambles because I've got other bodies to use.'"

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