Thomas Tuchel has defended his England World Cup selection by insisting he has "specialists" in his squad ready to form a "brotherhood" to win the tournament this summer.
The England boss delivered shocks by leaving out high-profile stars including Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire, while he also surprised with the selection of striker Ivan Toney, whose involvement so far under Tuchel amounts to just a seven-minute cameo in June 2025. Trent Alexander-Arnold's exile also continues.
Tuchel personally called around 50 players on Thursday and Friday to inform them that they had/had not made his World Cup 26-man squad.
"From day one we were clear we were trying to build the best possible team, which is not necessarily the 26 most talented players," Tuchel told a press conference on Friday morning after his squad was officially revealed.
"Teams win championships - and what we're trying to achieve can only be achieved as a team.
"We have players ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish."
"We have specialists for different scenarios - when we're leading, when we're chasing a result. We have always said we want to be a strong set-piece team, so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that."
On the unity, he later added: "It's about building a brotherhood and a certain energy, then we can transmit that to our fans. Once we get that right anything is possible. We will try to win this tournament."
Explaining the absence of Alexander-Arnold, Palmer and Foden, Tuchel said: "I'm very confident in the group we chose. Very difficult decisions. Painful conversations. Difficult to explain to the players. But what we try to achieve we achieve as a team.
"If everyone is selected, it's a given we have to leave some extraordinary players and extraordinary personalities at home.
"I like these decisions - even if they took us weeks, months - they bring clarity, a certain edge that is necessary.
"For some of them it's just the amount of players in a certain position. We want to give [the players] a clear role."
Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze now have that clarity for the No 10 position.
Toney has scored 32 goals in 32 games for Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League this season and his potential impact off the bench, coupled with a glowing review from his club coach Matthias Jaissle, who Tuchel managed in Stuttgart's youth team, convinced the England boss to recall the former Brentford striker.
"Also a bit of a surprise to us," joked Tuchel when it was put to him Toney's selection was a shock. "When it came down to all different kinds of scenarios he was back in the picture. I had fantastic feedback from his club coach who was my player.
"We could see he still collects the numbers. He has very special skills that could help us when we're chasing a goal. He can be a valuable addition to Harry Kane, a presence in the box, he can take attention off other strikers, he's a natural finisher, he can help us at set-pieces and he's a world-class penalty taker."
Tuchel also revealed he was unhappy with Toney last summer and held "clear the air" talks with the striker before including him in England's "special operations team" at the World Cup.
"I was not happy with the June camp," Tuchel said. "He knows that and we had to clear the air after that.
"That was the first step to even start thinking about calling him up again because I was not happy. That was then out of the picture and no more issues."
Asked what is required for this England squad to win the World Cup, Tuchel said: "We need a bit of luck We need our selection right. Stay healthy. Catch momentum. Build a brotherhood. Play with courage, hunger. And take advantage of special moments.
"Once we go hopefully to knockout football it's a game of margins. It won't be done without nerves of steel.
"Not everything is in our hands but it's good to have the goal spoken out. We did this early in the first camp. Then straight away we said let's focus on what we can influence."
However, he also noted that, with Arsenal and Crystal Palace players still to play European finals, the workload on his players needs to be managed after a tiring season.
"It shows me this league is the strongest league in the world, the most competitive," he said on Arsenal facing Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final and Crystal Palace taking on Rayo Vallecano after Aston Villa beat Freiburg to win the Europa League.
"And it shows on the negative effect our players will be tired after a long season. That's how it is."
Tuchel made it clear his selection was founded on the players who performed well for him in the September, October and November international breaks - a series of matches Palmer and Maguire missed completely.
Foden was involved in the November games, as Tuchel experimented with different roles for him, but, like Palmer, he has continued to struggle for top form.
In contrast, Maguire has impressed for Man Utd, starting 14 of their last 16 Premier League games. He said he was "shocked and gutted" at the decision when news of his omission leaked on Thursday.
Responding to those comments from Maguire, Tuchel said: "I was a bit surprised. But I respect his personality and quality a lot. I can see the disappointment and reason behind it.
"Still I was a bit surprised because we had a private conversation and he had the chance to express his feelings.
"We stood firmly with our central defenders who carried us through September, October, November. Some of them are part of the leadership group who set the standards high."
One of those players is John Stones, who gets in despite starting just four Premier League games this season for Man City - and none since October. He's been fit in recent months but not regularly selected by Pep Guardiola.
"I'm a huge believer in John," said Tuchel. "I think he's a world-class player, amazing character and proven winner."
The German also threw his backing behind Djed Spence, who is battling relegation at Tottenham Hotspur.
"He's the fastest player in our squad and he loves defending one-on-ones," said Tuchel. "That's what makes him a special full-back for us. He can play both sides." After his performance against Uruguay in March, Tuchel said he realised: "I could really trust him."
