Thomas Tuchel told he should be SACKED if England fail to win World Cup as ex-striker makes brutal 'B team' World Cup squad dig

The fallout from Tuchel’s maiden World Cup squad announcement continues to reverberate across the footballing world, with Deeney leading the charge against the former Chelsea boss. Writing in his column for The Sun, the former Watford forward expressed disbelief at the talent left behind in London while the Three Lions prepare for the global stage. "For a nation with A-star talent, we seem to be sending a B-team to the World Cup," Deeney wrote. "Thomas Tuchel has got his principles all muddled up and has selected a squad that, if they do not come back with the trophy, should be a sackable offence."

The core of the frustration lies in the perceived lack of consistency regarding selection criteria. He noted: "Are we picking on reputation or form and minutes? Jarell Quansah being in there suggests the latter, but then John Stones getting the call-up makes it look like we’re just back to the big names again. Which one is it?"

The most significant talking points involve the absence of 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Season Phil Foden and Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer. Tuchel has defended his decision, stating he wanted a group built on "hunger and excitement" rather than just past reputation. However, Deeney remains unconvinced that England can progress further than they did under Gareth Southgate without their most creative sparks.

"The calls to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden behind could look incredibly stupid in a couple of months," Deeney warned. "Everyone likes the idea of not picking based on names or egos, but that is an awful lot of quality to be left back home and, with this squad, I cannot see Tuchel taking England any further than Gareth Southgate did."

The inclusion of Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson served as another point of contention for Deeney. He argued that the selection contradicts Tuchel's message of picking players based on fitness and active minutes. "We all know that Jordan is there for the vibes, and it is not that he is the problem, but the message was that we’re picking players who are ready and playing," Deeney claimed. "Jordan has been injured and coming off the bench for Brentford."

Despite the scathing criticism, Tuchel has remained firm, explaining that that his choices were heavily influenced by the "evidence" gathered during previous international camps, where he felt the leadership group and the overall team chemistry reached a level he wanted to preserve for the tournament in North America.

Tuchel argued that the team currently possesses a "bit of fresh air" and cautioned against overloading the squad with too many similar profiles. "Does this mean that the other guys that you mentioned did anything wrong? No," Tuchel explained. "For some of them, it's just a positional thing that we also tried to have a balanced squad and not to bring five number 10s and make them play out of position because whom would we do a favour with? The player or ourselves? I don't think so." The pressure is now firmly on the manager to prove his doubters wrong when the tournament kicks off.