Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, has spoken about his selections for the Three Lions squad that is preparing to begin its UEFA Nations League campaign in the upcoming international break, with the opening fixture against Spain at Wembley on 26 September, before facing Croatia and the Czech Republic (home and away).
Tuchel used today's press conference to name the squad and explain the returns of Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom missed the World Cup. According to the "Sky Sports" website, he said: "They have made a good start to the season and have not done anything wrong. We simply chose other players in the previous period, and now we are facing new competition. Cole has regained his outstanding numbers through decisive assists and important goals, and I think he has a desire to prove himself. The same applies to Trent. He was never outside our plans, and this is his chance to show the best version of himself with the camp as a right-back."
Alexander-Arnold, he stressed, now has to earn his spot. "He has to deliver the required levels because it is an open competition. He was not with us at the World Cup because we trusted other players, and I stand by that decision, but the time has now come for him to fight for his place. He has always shown his readiness to fight, and it is up to him now to prove it during this long camp."
Injuries have wrecked his hopes of keeping the World Cup group intact. "The door is always open based on performance and committed conduct to the team spirit we have built. I was expecting greater continuity in the make-up of the World Cup structure, but many of them are absent through injury, which gives other players the chance to shine. We will not compromise on the brotherhood mentality that took us so far, and I will not change much in the line-ups during matches to avoid tiring them."
Beating France in the third-place play-off at the World Cup has him convinced the gap to the elite is closing. "It is a wonderful start to the Nations League campaign. We achieved excellent results in qualifying, we played 10 matches in the United States, we recorded 8 wins, one draw and suffered one defeat which still hurts a great deal, and this outstanding run of matches we want to repeat again and go far in the Nations League."
He added: "Our feeling is that the new cycle began with the win over France, who possess perhaps the strongest squad in the world, and this victory sets the course for the next phase. We also feel we are closing the gap with Spain, the world champions, and our motivation could not be higher than that."
Defender Ben White misses out through injury, and Tuchel felt for him: "Ben White withdrew due to injury after making a wonderful start with Arsenal, and he regained his best level in partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right flank, which is very valuable to us. But bad luck always follows Ben at the crucial moments when the call-up is made."
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Contract ambitions and another shot at the World Cup came up next. The German manager explained: "The star is only awarded with the World Cup title, but my extended contract deals with the Euros competition. Our current goal is to try to win the Nations League title and to build on a solid foundation in preparation for the Euros held on our soil."
Does he regret leaving Palmer and Trent out of the World Cup finals? "I was very happy with the squad selections and we spent seven wonderful weeks together. The decisions in the Argentina match were critical, and as a manager you cannot always guarantee results. I will not allow 30 minutes at the World Cup to override our assessment of the achievement we made."
Both Morgan Gibbs-White and Palmer still have work to do to hang on to their places. "We can see the readiness Morgan is going through and his decisive performances with Nottingham Forest. The call-up is one thing, and delivering the performance on the pitch is another, so Cole needs to show his strong numbers to justify his presence and secure a place in the starting line-up."
What about the post-World Cup review with the English FA? Tuchel laughed: "They told me off because of the substitutions I made. I'm only joking! I felt full support from the management throughout the tournament, and even before the Mexico match they assured me of their complete trust. I did not have the slightest doubt about us continuing together, and continuous thinking is essential to develop expertise."
The exit still stings, and he admits his feelings are mixed. "I am still working on conveying the right message before facing Spain because my feelings are still mixed. We created great belief among the fans to go far, which made the bitterness of the exit doubled. But among the positives is that we built a family spirit and a never-give-up mentality."