It is almost 48 hours until the start of the World Cup and yet, Thomas Tuchel’s England selection continues to come under the microscope. Chelsea legend John Terry has had his say.
England take on Costa Rica on Wednesday night in the second of their two warm-up friendlies, while also taking on MLS side Inter Miami behind closed doors on Thursday. Then, they face Croatia next week.
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The Three Lions will also face Ghana and Panama in the group stage. Should they top the group, they will then face whoever finishes third in groups E, H, I, J or K. It is the first time 48 nations will compete.
Tuchel’s selection continues to earn criticism. Reece James is the only Chelsea player involved, with Euro 2024 final scorer Cole Palmer missing out. Levi Colwill is also missing, after a season-long injury hell.
John Terry questions Thomas Tuchel overlooking Chelsea duo
It’s not just an England decision. Chelsea’s poor form has clearly had an impact on many National Team managers. Another former Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti, has overlooked Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos.
Speaking to TalkSPORT’s Road to the Final, Chelsea icon Terry questioned Tuchel’s decision not to take the Chelsea duo as well as Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold and Man United’s Harry Maguire.
“Levi Colwill, he’s left-footed, I know he’s only played a few games for Chelsea but there’s not many left-sided centre-halves. I think I would have included him. Then, above that, Cole Palmer is the biggest one.
“I know he’s not in the best form for Chelsea, but when we’re talking about players that can win you the game, and there aren’t many in the England squad that can do it,” Terry continued, on Palmer’s omission.
“Those matchwinners that have done it previously on the big stage, he’s certainly the man you’d look to on the bench when you’re 1-0 down for me,” Terry added, underlining his surprise Palmer wasn’t picked.
Who should Colwill and Palmer have replaced in squad?
At centre-back, there is no surprise to see John Stones, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa chosen by Tuchel. But perhaps the surprise inclusions are Dan Burn and Bayer Leverkusen’s ex-Liverpool man Jarell Quansah.
Quansah and Burn are both able to play at full-back on either side, and that might have been the thinking behind their inclusions. But at their best, neither are as composed or assured as Colwill is at centre-back.
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- Reece James
- Cole Palmer
- Joao Pedro
- Estevao Willian
- Moises Caicedo
- Josh Acheampong
- Levi Colwill
In attack, leaving Palmer out benefits Chelsea. The playmaker has had to play with an injury during 2025-26, which Alan Shearer described as a “horrible situation”. Palmer has not had a break for three summers.
The England U21s won the European Championships in 2023 with Palmer front and centre. Then, Euro 2024, followed by the Club World Cup in 2025. Palmer is finally getting some time off and Chelsea profit.
But as Terry says, can Tuchel really expect a game-changing moment from the likes of Noni Madueke, Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze? Surely, there was room for one more and Palmer deserved it.
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