
Thomas Tuchel led to a debate among three lion supporters when he unveiled his first English team last week for their upcoming world cup qualifications from 2026.
Veteran stars such as Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson – who both play outside of England who have taken on the dusk of their respective careers – made the list.
There was also a recall for Marcus Rashford, who found shape after leaving Manchester United to get used to Aston Villa.
The will of Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi were omitted their impressive form in the English top flight while they offered themselves to qualify for the Champions League, although the first was a late call after they were initially chased.
Many felt awarded for the snubed stars – including Tottenham Full -Back Djed Spence – and went to social media to express their frustrations with Tuchel.
But were they right to do this? Well, our friends at Sofascore have provided the final list where players must (and not) be included.
Keepers
Tuchel's Picks: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson, James Trafford
Sofascore's Picks: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford
In his team announcement, Tuchel chose to name four keepers, despite the fact that England only played two games during the break in March: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale and James Trafford.
The statistics of Sofascore suggest that the German coach has it on the spot with regard to his selection – in which the four players rated the most this year.
The Stat Boffins, however, suggested that only three keepers are needed for the coming luminaires – where the Nick Pope of Newcastle is just short.
His average rating of 7.05 of this season is improved by Ramsdale (7.08), Trafford (7.08) and Pickford (7.21).
Defenders
Tuchel's Picks: Dan Burn, Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah and Kyle Walker
Sofascore's Picks: James Tarkowski, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guehi, Charlie Cresswell, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Rico Lewis, Dan Burn, Tyrick Mitchell, Tyrick Mitchell
This is where things become difficult.
According to Sofascore, there are a number of remarkable omissions when it comes to the defensive selections of Tuchel for the qualifications of this month's World Cup.
Their statistics suggest that people such as Levi Colwill, Ezri Konsa and Reece James should not have been called and had offered a number of interesting names instead.
They claim that, in the central defense, the best options would have been James Tarkowski, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guehi and Charlie Cresswell.
Everton's Tarkowski and Chelsea's Adarabioyo are an integral part of the success of their respective parties during the campaign and had bad luck.
In the meantime, Toulouse -defender Cresswell deserved a surprising scream to record after building an average rating of 7.18 for his displays in the French league.
Since he joined the French outfit of Leeds last summer, the 22-year-old has made 24 performances in front of the side that is currently 10th in the competition table.
In the meantime, the statistics also suggest that Tuchel was wrong to select Kyle Walker and Myles Lewis-Skelly for the upcoming games.
The reviews claim that Djed Spence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Dan Burn and Tyrick Mitchell have been the best English full-backs in Europe's top five competitions.
In particular, Spence will feel difficult after shining for Tottenham on the left as the right side in the midst of their continuous injury struggles.
There was also no room for Tino Livramento or Jarell Quansah in the list of Sofascore.
Midfielders
Tuchel's Picks: Ebereechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers
Sofascore's Picks: Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Ebereechi Eze, James Maddison, Morgan Gibbs-White
Going in midfield and it is fair to say that Tuchel has made some good phone calls.
The selections of Ebereechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers are all supported by the statistics.
But the statistics of Sofascore say that James Maddison should have been recorded. The Tottenham star has so far a 7.31 rating this season, with only Forest's Gibbs -White (7.30) -a late call -up in the midst of injuries about Palmer -under him on their list.
Palmer (7.61) and Bellingham (7.54) are the two highest rated midfielders in the Tuchel team, according to their figures.
Sofascore believes that Tuchel was wrong to choose Jordan Henderson, perhaps the most controversial selection of the manager of England and Curtis Jones.
Ex-Livepool midfielder Henderson has struggled in Ajax, but the German gave him the nod for the upcoming matches, with the decision that was satisfied by widespread criticism.
But Tuchel said: 'I think his career and the way he now plays and imposes himself on Ajax is just that impressive.
'He builds on character, personality and energy that he brings to the team. For me, Jordan is a similar call-up for the same reasons as Burn. They wear these values on their shoulders and they wear their teams.
'It is absolutely reliable what they bring in terms of energy and this is where the focus is for us to build a strong team and a coherent team. Jordan is a big piece in that puzzle for us. '
Ahead
Tuchel's Picks: Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Solanke
Sofascore's Picks: Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Dominic Solanke
Tuchel has also followed the statistics when it comes to the attackers.
Sofascore believes that the only mistake the new manager made is to select Marcus Rashford, for the first time in a year to the team, about Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Rashford has made nine performances in all competitions for Aston Villa since he joined the loan of Man United and although he still has to score, the attacker has made a valuable contribution, including four assists.
He has shown signs of a revival under Unai Emery and reacts impressively on the team of Man United in the last weeks of his time in his boy's club.
And Rashford was rewarded by being one of the headline -inclusions in Tuchel's first team -but the statistics of Sofascore say that his place should have go to Hudson -odoi.
The forest Vooruit is their third highest ranked of the season so far with a rating of 7.18. Only Harry Kane (7.74) and Foden (7.37) have scored higher.
But the form of Hudson-Odoi for Champions League-Chasing Forest, including five goals and two assists, was not enough to earn a call-up.
Comments