Tuchel to “embrace the chaos” with new England squad

Thomas Tuchel left the United States in July craving more control for England, but two months on his message is heading in the opposite direction. As BBC Sport reports, the German said he’s open to “embrace the chaos” after naming his squad for the upcoming Nations League matches.

At his first squad announcement since the World Cup, Tuchel linked the idea to the emotions of the semi-final defeat to Argentina, where England took the lead through Anthony Gordon’s opener before fading late. “Football is about adapting to situations… football without any control is sometimes hard to digest for a coach,” he said, referencing both that loss and the 6-4 against France in the bronze-medal match. “Maybe I have to compromise… a little bit more chaos, embrace the chaos, and maybe it brings out the best,” he added.

Nations League squad picks

Even if the tone sounds like chaos, the selection doesn’t scream complete disruption. The recalls of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer suggest Tuchel still wants control through quality and technical balance. The squad also includes Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall, with both praised for their comfort on the ball.

Tuchel also handed a debut senior chance to 18-year-old Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha. BBC Sport adds that Fulham attacker Josh King is also close to earning his first senior call-up.

Control, but with flexibility

Tuchel stressed he doesn’t want to fully “let go” of structure. He said his ideal is to be “a little bit more like Spain” for short spells, but to play more minutes in line with what worked at the World Cup: “more minutes like we played the second half against Croatia… and more minutes like we played the first half against France.”

He also rejected the idea that recalling Palmer and Alexander-Arnold means he got the World Cup squad wrong, explaining that injuries prevented a full continuation of that group.

England begin the Nations League run at Wembley against Spain on Saturday, 26 September, then travel to the Czech Republic on Tuesday, 29 September, and play Croatia on Saturday, 3 October, before the Czech trip again on Tuesday, 6 October.