A Big Name Is No Guarantee in the England National Team Under Tuchel

Jude Bellingham is not included in the list of 24 players called up by coach Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming matches against Wales and Latvia during the October international break. The German coach has departed from the tendency of his predecessor, who was accommodating towards star players. Under Tuchel's era, the players selected are those who participated in the training camp during last month's international break.

In addition to Bellingham, Tuchel also did not include Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. These three star players had previously been regulars in the England national team under coach Gareth Southgate, including during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Since Tuchel took control, their status as star players has proven insufficient to warrant their recall to the national team.

"We have reached a new level and standard at the last training camp. This was clearly evident in the match against Serbia. Why not choose the same players and squad if they are available, as they need to prove themselves again. They have set the standard, and now they must ensure that this standard becomes more stable. This is the opportunity they have," said Tuchel regarding the reasons behind his player selection, Friday (3/10/2025) evening WIB.

Instead of calling star players, Tuchel seems intent on maintaining the same lineup as during the international break last month. In the list of 24 selected players from last month to the present, there is hardly any difference. At least two players who were not called up again are Adam Wharton and Tino Livramento.

Livramento must be sidelined for about two months due to a knee injury sustained while playing for Newcastle United against Arsenal last week. Livramento's position was then taken over by Jarell Quansah. Meanwhile, Wharton lost his position after failing to join due to an injury last month. His position was subsequently filled by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

This is more about the final training camp and what we are starting to build. It is not about reliance on individual players. Depending on just one player will never be a solution in football.

Now, although Wharton has recovered, Tuchel continues to retain Loftus-Cheek in the national team. Despite the midfielder, who currently plays for AC Milan, having an unimpressive performance with only 424 minutes played in seven matches this season and scoring just one goal.

"This is more about the final training camp and what we are starting to build. Relying on individual players is not the solution. Depending on just one player will never be a solution in football," said Tuchel, explaining his reasons for maintaining the lineup of players called up.

That reason is very understandable because Tuchel seems reluctant to disrupt the ongoing internalization process within his team. Adding many new players risks resetting the team back to square one. Tuchel has not yet completed a year in charge of England, which is why he desires stability, even if it means sacrificing the opportunity to include star players like Bellingham.

The "Three Lions" team will face Wales in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium, London, in the middle of next week before challenging Latvia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. If England wins against Latvia, they will only need a maximum of two points from their last two qualifying matches against Serbia and Albania to qualify for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

The absence of Bellingham from last month's call-up can still be understood as he was in the process of recovering from a shoulder injury. However, Bellingham has recovered and remains not chosen by Tuchel for the attacking midfielder position. In fact, Bellingham is regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in England alongside Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.

Like Bellingham, Foden and Palmer also did not receive a call-up. However, Palmer's absence is more due to injury. Meanwhile, Foden, who has been a regular performer with Manchester City, shares a similar fate with Bellingham.

Speculation has arisen regarding the absence of Bellingham's call-up this time. Moreover, prior to this, there were reports about the less-than-harmonious relationship between Tuchel and Bellingham. However, Tuchel has denied this.

"The only reason he (Tuchel) did that (retained the majority of the players called up) was because the 5-0 win against Serbia was so impressive. Plus, the atmosphere at the training camp was so good. He wanted to reward the players for that," said Sky Sports senior journalist Rob Dorsett.

The players called up will return to training on Monday next week local time at the England national team's training center in St George’s Park.

England Squad for October International Break

Goalkeeper:

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defender:

Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielder:

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Attacker:

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)