Tuchel Affirms No Issue with Jude Bellingham, Foden, or Grealish

Media Caption: The England Coach on the Real Madrid Star

England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel stated that he has "no issue" with Phil Foden following the trio did not make the Three Lions squad for upcoming matches against Latvia and Wales.

The midfielder did not earn a recall even after returning from a shoulder issue, while the Manchester City and Everton players are also absent despite displaying improved form with their respective clubs.

The German manager revealed that Bellingham wanted to be included of the selection, after a conversation with him via telephone.

"He is a unique talent, and for exceptional talents there can always be special rules," the coach remarked about the Real Madrid star, who's only started once since coming back to fitness.

"But we decided to maintain the straightforward decision of inviting the identical squad.

"Bellingham consistently merits to be here. There is the factor that he has not quite found his full rhythm yet at Real Madrid - he has not finished a full game.

"He wanted to be called up. We conducted a phone call."

The England boss was keen to emphasize his good rapport with Bellingham after Tuchel said sorry to him earlier this year for calling his on-pitch behavior as "disgusting" in a televised interview.

Tuchel stated that he uttered those terms "without meaning to" and would be more cautious in future.

When asked if he had a problem with Bellingham, Tuchel responded: "None. There is also no problem with Foden or Jack Grealish.

"Foden is back to impacting and deciding games for Manchester City. Grealish is very close to returning to the best version of himself.

"There is no personal issue."

Bukayo Saka taking the place of the hurt Madueke is the only change to last month's team, with Loftus-Cheek and Quansah keeping their spots after joining as last-minute call-ups previously due to fitness concerns.

England play the Welsh team in a friendly at Wembley on this Thursday before a qualifying match in Riga on October 14.

If the team triumph in Latvia, they will need a up to two more points from their remaining two matches - against Albania and Serbia in November - to secure a place in the upcoming tournament in North America.

Strong Performance By the Manager

The Three Lions produced their best display significantly under the manager's guidance when they beat the Serbian team 5-0 away in Belgrade last time out.

The coach stated that showing meant it an easy decision to stick with largely the same squad, though "there exist absolutely no guarantees" for every squad member regarding selection.

"The last camp was just a few weeks ago and the teamwork and spirit was on the highest level. That is why we chose to invite the same group to this session," he said.

"Foden is in a very good moment. Wharton merits to be with us. Curtis Jones and Chalobah are getting playing time with their clubs.

"We have players who deserve to be here. Cole Palmer is injured and is a special player. It will consistently remain the case.

"Is our team a better team with Bellingham? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if Jude is injured before the World Cup? Do we simply give up?"

The Manager's Press Conference Draws Attention

The England manager once more delivered a box office news conference.

He, a master of handling his interactions with the press, began with an opening statement to set out his reasoning for his decisions.

Bellingham is fit and available and expressed interest to join to the squad, but the coach explained he did not want to alter the team too much after a statement 5-0 win over their opponents - where the manager noted team spirit was extremely strong.

However with him not selecting Bellingham, and his frequent remarks about togetherness, it is hard not to link the aspects - although he said repeatedly how Bellingham is "exceptional" and that there is "no problem" between Tuchel and one of England's key talents.

The England manager has always made it clear that he wanted to make the England squad seem like a club side and, by retaining the identical selection after a big victory, he has done that. But the questions will arise once more in the following session if the team perform strongly in these next two matches.

Dennis Carter
Dennis Carter

Zkušený novinář se zaměřením na mezinárodní události a technologické trendy.