England begin their World Cup tomorrow against Croatia, yet there is still talk about whether Thomas Tuchel has picked the right squad. Harry Maguire thinks a Chelsea player was unlucky not to go.
The Three Lions are in Kansas and will make their way over to Dallas in the next 24 hours before taking on Croatia. A heavyweight clash, and a re-run of the 2018 World Cup semi-final when England were beaten.
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England go into the game in good spirits, with Tuchel’s side winning both of their warm-up games. A 1-0 win over New Zealand, followed by an improved performance and a 3-0 win over minnows Costa Rica.
Now, the big time. Tuchel takes on his first-ever World Cup match as a manager against the likes of Luka Modric, Josko Gvardiol and Croatia’s cream of the crop. But has Tuchel picked the right England squad?
Harry Maguire thinks Cole Palmer should have been picked
With Tuchel in charge, Cole Palmer will have been hoping and possibly expecting to be a part of the 26-man squad tasked with winning the World Cup. It came as a surprise when Palmer’s name was missing.
England’s current squad have survived any major injury scares, but Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka is struggling to return to full fitness. Tuchel himself has admitted that Saka may struggle to last an entire 90 minutes.
On Netflix’s The Rest Is Football, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire says he thinks Palmer should have got the call-up, underlining how good the former Manchester City defender is from penalties.
Reporter Rob Jones asked: “Apart from yourself, if there was one other player you could add to the squad, who would it be?”, to which Maguire responded, suggesting Palmer should have gone: “Tough question.
“Because you’re speaking about Saka’s injury and maybe that he is a doubt, I think you’ve got to look at Cole Palmer. Cole is reliable at penalties, a big part of the tournament,” Maguire said about Palmer.
“To win a World Cup you need to win a penalty shootout. I’d go with Cole, but there are a few players; there’s always talk about the players that aren’t there,” Maguire continued, highlighting Palmer’s quality.
John Terry thinks two Chelsea players should have gone
Plenty of pundits and onlookers have suggested that Palmer should have travelled across the pond and been a part of the World Cup squad. Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold and many others have missed out.
Has Cole Palmer been wronged? Or is it just deserved for his poor form?🤔
But John Terry thinks two Chelsea players should have gone to the World Cup. Recently, Terry said he believes both Palmer and defender Levi Colwill should have been a part of Tuchel’s England squad.
“Levi Colwill, he’s left-footed; I know he’s only played a few games for Chelsea, but there aren’t many left-sided centre-halves. I think I would have included him. Then, above that, Cole Palmer is the biggest one.”
Instead, Chelsea benefit. Colwill can rest after a long injury lay-off and Palmer, who has been busy for three summers in a row – U21’s in 2023, Euro 2024, Club World Cup in 2025 – can now have a rest.
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