Thomas Tuchel has never shied away from a big call, and his latest England squad for the fixtures against Croatia and Spain is sure to spark controversy. The German dropped several familiar faces who had grown used to a place in the Three Lions' plans.
Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Kobbie Mainoo and Nico O'Reilly all miss out, left out for technical and tactical reasons. It's a clear signal that Tuchel wants to reshuffle his pack and push on with his project, even at the cost of some of English football's biggest names.
Palmer's omission stands out most. Tuchel decided not to call on the Chelsea star for the upcoming international break, with Foden, Mainoo and O'Reilly joining him on the sidelines.
There was brighter news for the game's rising stars. Tuchel handed first call-ups to Fulham midfielder Josh King and to Jobe Bellingham, the Borussia Dortmund man and younger brother of Jude, who also makes the cut.
Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold headline a squad that also features Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Adam Wharton and Rio Ngumoha. The message is simple: fresh faces, sharper competition for places.
Those calls come with key absences across the board. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Tino Livramento and Alex Scott are all missing, opening the door for new faces to pull on the senior shirt.
Drop the likes of Palmer and Foden, hand chances to untested youngsters, and the picture becomes clear. Tuchel isn't picking England on reputation. He's building to his own blueprint and the demands of what comes next.
The full England squad
- Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton), James Trafford (Leeds United).
- Defence: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Jed Spence (Inter), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Ben White (Arsenal).
- Midfield: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), James Garner (Everton), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
- Attack: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea).