LONDON -- The England squad announcement on Friday was never going to be a line in the sand. A case of on to Euro 2028, new players, fresh opportunities? No. Over the course of 30 minutes as Thomas Tuchel spoke to the media after naming his 27-player squad for the Nations League, he remained stuck in post-World Cup, pre-Euro 2028 limbo.
We heard how he had sleepless nights after the World Cup; scars of that painful 2-1 semifinal loss to Argentina remain. The feedback he's received from fans since the World Cup has been 99.9% positive. But there was also a joke about how the FA criticised him for his Argentina substitutions. They also told him his job was safe before the Mexico match. In hindsight, no, he doesn't regret the squad he picked. And as for the future? Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold are back. But their inclusion is not an admission of fault for those who went to the World Cup ahead of them. What about style heading forward? Chaos? Perhaps. Control? Ideally. Somewhere in between? Let's see.
It was a rollercoaster ride through the last three months and what lies ahead. Not enough time for mention of Noni Madueke or Ollie Watkins' omissions. The squad focus was on Palmer and Alexander-Arnold's recalls and Alex Scott's inclusion. But still, in Tuchel's first news conference since the World Cup, there was always going to be focus on recent, painful memories.
Tuchel and the FA released an hour-long World Cup review named "Reflections" earlier in the week. Tuchel talked about how Argentina were playing "f--- it" football. He mentioned the "scars" he'll carry, but also how he must prevent himself from being tormented by England's semifinal exit. He regretted not eating the Azteca Stadium's grass after that win over Mexico. There's a lot to digest, here.
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Despite all that, on Friday he did admit the exit left him with sleepless nights. He was hugely encouraged by how England responded in that bronze medal match with France, and their performance against a team he feels have the best squad in the world. He has held close the second half against Croatia, and the first half with France. He says 99.9% of people he's met in cafes or shops since were keen to relay memories of where they watched the matches against Congo DR or Mexico, rather than questioning him on shifting to the back five against Argentina which gave Leo Messi and Co. space and time to take the match 2-1. You wonder how punchy the 0.1% were.
As is the case with football, only future success can take the sting out of past sporting disappointment. Argentina (and West Germany 1990, Germany 1996, Italy 2021, Spain 2024) and everything which happened there will linger in the back of supporters' minds and hearts until they see England's men's team lift their second major tournament title. Tuchel wants England to win Euro 2028, a tournament where they are joint hosts. Eventually the narrative will shift towards that, but to help encourage that, we need to see this team's identity. Are they the team which couldn't break down Ghana? Or are they the team which blew Croatia away?
Tuchel has previously said he wants his team to reflect the Premier League. That would be attritional, direct, set-piece orientated, high tempo, leg-sapping football. Then he's also said he wants England to control matches better.
"That would be the wish and that we become for 10 minutes a little bit more like Spain," Tuchel said. "The more I reflect, it's maybe more buying into our strengths and playing more minutes like, we played in the second half against Croatia and more like we played against France and buying into these strengths because I think we get a lot of value out of it. We get a lot of connection to the fans and that is what the Premier League reflects. But yeah, football is about adapting to situations and seeing football without any control is sometimes hard to digest for a coach.
"If you look at the 6-4 against France, people talk about it like it's one of their nicest experiences ever watching a football match. So maybe I have to compromise in my wish to urge for more control, instead embrace a little bit more chaos. Maybe it brings out the best. We will adjust our style, but always to put the strengths of the players as the first priority."
All of this came on the same day as Tuchel named his 27-player squad for the Nations League tests with Spain, Croatia and two matches with Czechia across an elongated international break. Football doesn't wait -- but still, pain, scars and regrets linger. Tuchel was at pains to emphasise that any player's recall or omission here should not be framed as someone profiting or being punished off what happened against Argentina. "I will not allow 30 minutes of this World Cup to override how we view our achievement," Tuchel said.
Despite the changes in personnel, what remains as one constant non-negotiable from the World Cup to Euro 2028 is the prioritisation of the brotherhood ethos, a philosophy he's anchored this England team on. So, in the midst of World Cup post-mortems, reviews, injuries, recalls, omissions and plans heading forward, the notion of Tuchel's England squad being a brotherhood bridges what he learnt from the World Cup and what he wants England to be as he challenges them to win Euro 2028.
To start that journey, this latest squad should be seen as faith in continuity rather than clearing house. He wanted more of his World Cup group in this squad but injury prevented Reece James, Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson, Dean Henderson, John Stones and Djed Spence from being included.
Alexander-Arnold is back in a Tuchel squad for the first time since May 2025. He was one of the big-name omissions from the World Cup, but his inclusion is the latest chapter in Alexander-Arnold's turbulent relationship with England. When Tuchel was asked what he wants to see from Alexander-Arnold, even before the question finished, Tuchel said: "perform", quickly followed by another "perform." Palmer is also back, rewarded for his brilliant early season form at Chelsea. Scott also deserves his chance, while Jarrad Branthwaite's inclusion comes at the expense of Levi Colwill's chance.
Josh King was unlucky to miss out, while injury prevented Ben White from being called up, saying he likes the White-Bukayo Saka partnership on the right-wing at Arsenal. "It is one thing to be nominated and getting your ticket back into the squad and it's another thing to perform for England," Tuchel said. "The players need to step up now that they're back in the squad, perform and keep their place in the squad."
And with all of that behind him (or lingering over him) Tuchel ushers England forward, moving towards Euro 2028 where the expectation will be unapologetically sky high. It starts with Spain on Sept. 26. That's the first step towards diluting painful memories from the summer. "The target is to finish the cycle of the Nations League, try to win it, go to the final four and try to win it and build on what we have," Tuchel said. "I feel that it's not a new beginning that we are starting now. We build on solid and very valuable foundations, and the target is to win the Euros."
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