The 2026 England World Cup Squad.

The 2 D's for our next series of Podcasts are going to be discussing The 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico & Canada.

In this first episode, we discuss the merits of Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup Squad and whether we agree with his selections or not. We end with picking our team from his squad.  

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome to episode one of the second series of the Two Days in the Pop Podcast. In this series, we'll be focusing on the significant events of the day and their perspective on those events. Today we begin with a review of Thomas Tushell's World Cup selection.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Not too bad, Peter. Not too bad, you? Not too bad.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Good to speak to you. So um England World Cup squad's been announced.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Yeah, it has, hasn't it? A few surprises.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Yeah, a few surprises, I guess. I mean, I don't know what your thoughts were on that squad. I mean I think the goalkeepers spoke for themselves. Any thoughts on those?

SPEAKER_02 0:45

To be honest, no, I think the the goalkeepers are probably who I would have gone with. I mean most of the the last couple of England managers obviously have gone with Pickford, and that I don't know if there's a better English goalkeeper to be honest. And the backups are always what they are, you know, very rarely get a game. But um you know, I think it's okay. You got any strong thoughts on the goalkeepers?

SPEAKER_00 1:04

No, my only other thought was I'm glad Trafford's in there because he's he's a young up-and-coming keeper, although he hasn't had the game time at Men City, he probably expected because Donna Ruma turned up there. Um I thought Pope might have a shout, but I think both Trafford and Henderson are better with their feet, and at international level, you do need to probably be more confident with that with your feet. So, yeah, I think those three keepers I think I'd be put the three I'd probably go with.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Yeah, yeah. I mean I think Ramsdale was gone. He was a good keeper, and I was certainly one that when he was at Arsenal thought he was I couldn't understand why they bought Raya because he Ramsdale was okay, but now he seems to have suffered a little bit, and maybe that's being at somewhere else with Southampton. He's had a couple of bad seasons, should we say, and Trafford, as you say, certainly it's good he's in the squad because he should be the England number one within a couple of years. Right, defenders, that's always going to be interesting.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Yeah, exactly. I think we've got some reasonable defenders there. Today's discussion. For me, the players are never missed a goal. I thought it was very unlucky. Pretty much every game for Man United this year, never really let England down, although he was, I suppose, he was injured for a lot of the last tournament and has had an injury-ravaged career. Disappointed that Luke Shaw didn't make it. And Maguire, bit of a surprise that he didn't go given his experience, and again another player who's had a had a good good season.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah, I I I think definitely for me, Maguire. I mean, I'm I've never been a great lover of him. I think he's always got a mistake in him, in that he's not that quick. But he is a threat, you know, in the goal mouth, and he does put his body on the line, and he has actually managed to come through a difficult season, certainly at the beginning with Manu, and then at the end he's played quite well. So why Stones, for example, is there? I I you know that is more of a surprise for me because he hasn't played at all, really at all. So I would have gone with for the experience over although Stones obviously is experienced, but he's hardly played to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

I mean he's always done quite well for England in tournaments, but the way it's shaping up, I think he's looking at Stones and Gay here as his centre halves because Colwell at Chelsea, and again he's been out for a lot of the season, only 23, but looking a very good player, but again, he he didn't make it. And Dan Byrne and Esri Cos um uh concert have had come in.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

I mean Dan Byrne again. I don't know, I I would have gone with Maguire over those guys, I think, personally, for the experience, for tournaments, for the threat, you know, and he's had a pretty good end of season where I think some of the others haven't really done that much. Um, you know, Aguy has done fantastically well, and yeah, I would have gone with him as but maybe maybe Tushul's thinking was the partnership.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

One of the things I detect from Tuschul's selections is he he values loyalty and he values players around the squad. There's some other players we'll talk about a bit later on, but who haven't always been in his squads and they seem to have fallen down the pecking order because they've either dropped out or they they just weren't available, and he's gone with those players. So Byrne has always been there for him, and I think he he he likes that and he likes that solidity about things, and also he's very big on people around the dressing room, and I understand Dan Byrne is a character around the dressing room, which might be another another factor in his his thinking.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Yeah, I think I mean left back and right back, there's always the Terence uh you know Trent argument Trent Alexandra argument about is he a defender, is he good enough? Again, in a squad, I think it's good to have somebody like that who's got that who could have that bit of quality at that particular time. You know, as you say, Luke Shaw, is he as fast as he was? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

But you know, I'm the thing with Darrell Kwanzaa, who's obviously at Leverkusen. He struggled in the Liverpool to get in the Liverpool side the season before last, and for him to be in that team when players of like Sean Maguire are left at home, it's a little surprising, but again, it might be what two short scenes behind the scenes that we don't see, of course. Yeah, okay. What about the fullbacks? I mean, uh Liverminto and um James.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

James is is a good because for me he's a utility player, you know, he can play across the midfield as well, and he's solid, he could be a solid midfielder and a solid fullback, so I like that. Some of the other guys haven't really set the world alight, but I mean, as I say, maybe Luke Shaw could have been left back, but he's been playing more as often as a central defender. If you've got a good solid team and you've got good solid midfield, I think you could have probably falled it to Terrence, sorry, Trent Alexander as uh fullback on the right side because I I'm not sure there's much there, to be honest. I think it's an area of potential weakness for England.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Yeah, the one I do like is Nico O'Reilly from Man City's as a young man. He can apparently a central midfield player normally, but he's played very well at left back, he's a ghost scrolling threat, he's 6'4, so he's he could be uh a mainstay of that in that tournament.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah. He's he as you say, he's another good guy that he can play in two or three positions, and I think probably as a squad you you need that, you know. I think so, you because you never know what injuries are going to come your way, and how they deal with the heat and the pressure and everything else that's gonna be there.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

So what would you so what very controversial, I think, and in terms of the players who didn't go. I think um what are your thoughts, Boden?

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Foden and Cole Palmer. I mean, I I do having seen the Arsenal PSG game at the weekend where Arsenal defended solidly, brilliantly for whatever it was, 85 minutes. But when you're defending for that long, you're gonna have a a mistake. You're gonna make a mistake, it's just impossible to defend for that long. And obviously a penalty was given, and that's how the other team got. But there was not much going forward, and I feel England could be in the same situation, they could be defending for a lot of the game. And is there a player in that midfield who is creative, different enough? I think it's always been a problem with England squads for me. The flair player, if you like. Most of these games now are going to be 1-0. I mean, I'm not talking about in the you know, in the sort of round one or whatever, but when they get to the air, it'll be 1-0, very rarely very tight game. For 15-20 minutes, I know neither of them probably had fantastic seasons, but they are players who are different and could add something, and I think that's all that's missing. Jaclan Rice, fantastic season, fantastic player. Yeah, but again, is he uh has he got enough creativity?

SPEAKER_00 7:22

That's right. I think that's right. You mean you've got obviously Henderson and Mayno are in the squad, which again, I think I'm a fan of Adam Wharton, actually, Alice as well. So to your point, I think having that creativity when you're 1-0 down, as inevitably England will be with 10 or 15 minutes to go. What are you going to look to on the bench to do? Shore up the midfield by bringing on a main okay. It's kind of it's not really so. Whilst Palmer and Foden haven't had great seasons, they can bring you something, they're more of a ten, they can receive the ball in tight positions to their feet. Where Rogers, for instance, has had a good season as a kind of a 10. Yeah, he's not a 10 ball to feet in a tight space, he's a 10 who will feed off a centre forward who's got pace and strength, and I think that's where we'll we will suffer. But again, I think that probably comes back with Morton, Foden, and Palmer a little bit, the way they've behaved around the camp and their availability that maybe Tush will have seen things that he doesn't like. But I think that's a key area where we might we might struggle a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

He could be that player, he could be that. But again, I don't think he's that tight one, two short, sharp passes around the bottom. He he's fantastic runner, got great vision, can strike the ball, obviously, and you know, not just for Arsenal, but he was great at Crystal Palace. But for me, it's if that player's got to defend, you know, we've got to go over the top and he's gonna have to run onto it. And probably there'll be if extra time if we nick a goal. I don't see the uh anyone else who's the kind of ticky-tacky kind of player who could who could make something happen.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah, no, I I I I I agree with you. I agree with you. I mean, I think what we have strength, I think I do like Anderson, he's played very well for England. Yeah, he's not probably had such a stellar season this year for Forrest, but they've been struggling.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's played a lot of games as well. And and guys, you know, they're having his stage of his career is a bit kind of unsettling. Must be. Maybe being asked to play differently, different styles, and and that's the thing.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

How many different styles has he been asked to play? And the fact he's always been picked every week.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

Yes, yeah, yeah, by all of them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he's good. I agree with you about Walton, and I thought he could have been good. I would have taken him rather than Henderson for sure. Yeah, I'm not sure what Henderson's going to add in uh you can say about experience in camp, but how many leaders do you need in the in the dressing room? You know that's the thing.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

I mean he's 35. I mean you could bring him as a coach. Well, do you need to bring him as a uh I think because Benningham is the other one who could be, in theory, the star of a tournament for England. He's at the perfect age, he's had a you know a reasonable season with Madrid, you know, they haven't won anything. He he could be the real leader for England, so long as Tushel doesn't see him as uh a chopping change for Rogers as the 10th.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

Yeah, I don't know. That I think that's where Tushel has that issue that he's not sure who's his 10th. And until he gets that kind of this is my team, this is how it's going to be set up. You know, if it's two holding mid-field players, then obviously then he's thinking, right, I might need Henderson because I might need another uh I need a holding mid-field player, but and or uses Bellingham in that thing, which is but I think with the squad he could have gone with left Henderson at home and probably risked Palmer or Fogan personal.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Yeah, no, I I I tend to agree. I tend to agree. So, first of all, those players who who didn't make it uh to the World Cup. I mean players who were around the periphery, I think Solanke, and the Abrahams, as like Calvert Lewin, didn't really I don't see any of them.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

I mean you could say they are squad players, but I don't know. I don't see any of them, certainly not. I'd almost rather rely on Palmer and or Foden as a second striker than those guys. You know, Watkins has had a great season, obviously. I don't know. I mean Harry Kane is obviously the one player who can score goals, but you know, he's he's actually playing better. I've seen him you know recently. He's playing deeper, he's coming forward, he's he's doing a lot more. He's not just that number nine.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Towards the end of the season, we're playing Nicholas Jackson as the out and out nine, and Kane was in as the end of the ten. But I think the team will be built around Kane as the forecrum of the attack, and it's just what happens on that. I think Saka will be right sided, definitely uh with Madaweke as the backup, yeah, whether it's Gordon or Rashford on the the left side.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Rashford I think has been fortunate to be in the squad, but he's done well at times for Barcel this season.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Yeah, it'd be interesting that those two are the left side, and they're the kind of and Gordon's got the gig at Barcelona and Rashford Well, that's right. So that'll be an interesting dressing room conversation. That could be. You're gonna take my position. Yeah, so uh I don't know. I I've never I mean a lot of people have seemed to have rated Gordon, obviously. He's gone to Barcelona and the talk was by Munich. Yeah, I I never saw that he was that quality, that level, but I don't know. Maybe something else, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

I mean he's very, very quick. I mean he's one of the quickest players in the premier. Yeah. He's an intelligent player for for sure, but so maybe on a stronger side there's more opportunities. I mean, Newcastle have had a bit of a mixed season, I don't know. Sure. Maybe that's impacted him. But so maybe a fresh start at uh Barcelona will be always on the attack, we'll always be looking at close that front. Yeah, playing players like Lenin Lamal will will obviously be very good for him. Then you have Ivan Tony, what was your thought?

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Yeah, well that that's a strange one. I mean, I I I these players who play in those those leagues, obviously, money's a part of it. Uh how good is he? I don't know. What did he play in the last tournament? I mean, a couple of minutes he took a penalty, and I think that was it.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

He has played for he played for Al Ali now, and he's in here, and I think he's scored a stack of goals. I don't know whether it's fifty odd goals and they're third or fourth in the league. But what's the quality of that league?

SPEAKER_02 13:12

And I wonder why he he was selected over some of the others, yeah, in a tougher league, yeah. Yeah. I d I do think that as a striker, goals uh you know are your bread and butter. Obviously, that's what gives you confidence. And if you're scoring goals, you think you can score at any level, and I think he's a confident player. I think he will want to get on. And I think Kane may well have issues. Maybe he'll be rested for some of the games. Certainly, if there's some dead rubbers in the quality, you know, quali in the group's stages where he doesn't need to play. If they're smart, I think he's direct and score goals. Scores goals.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Yeah, so he might be uh seen as one replacement for Kane.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Yeah, I think so. I don't I don't really see any of the other strikers who didn't go. I don't know if they did well enough, you know, to be honest. Because you've got to think now the Premier League is almost like a world, all the qu the quality of the defending now is so much better, the quality, the speed of it, everything else. And if you can't get more than ten goals or whatever it is, you know, I don't know how well you're gonna do. Obviously at the group stage is fine, but when you get into the kind of deep into the competition, I don't know how well you're gonna do against some of the better organised teams and better teams than I and then just quickly then, what would your selection be?

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Your opening game selection?

SPEAKER_02 14:35

I'd go with a strong team just to set uh to give to get to give the players the confidence of saying, right, I mean he's bet I mean he's I'm in his first eleven. Yeah. Unless there's an injury thing or something like that, I would say, right, that's my first eleven. It sets a standard for your team for at home, it sets a standard for the players, it sets the standard for the squad. The guys who are not not in that first lineup.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

So you're going you're going to go Pickford.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Pickford, uh, I would go Gay Stones. Yes, yeah, I'd probably go with those. Nico Riley for that. Nico Riley on the left, and then across the middle, you've got obviously Declan Rice, Anderson, Saka. I don't know, Gordon, probably over Rashford. I'd probably go with Gordon.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Bellingham.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Say again?

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Bellingham.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

Bellingham, I would have him off of Kane. He's the ten.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

So you wouldn't have Rogers in at the starting?

SPEAKER_02 15:25

I probably wouldn't. I probably wouldn't. I think I'd go uh that. Would you have any changes to that? What who would be who would be your lineup?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Well, I think I'd go back four would be the same. I think I'd I think Bellingham is an eight rather than a ten, so I would actually play Anderson holding with Rice and Bellingham either side, and then Gordon left sided. I wouldn't play Rogers to agree with you. I played Kane Central, then Saka right would be mine.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

So you yours yours would be four three three?

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Four-three three, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Looking at the quality of Paris Saint-Germain, when they were able to move their midfield away completely almost. I mean, all of them, the four was the six. Interchangeable interchangeable, incredible, and that was their biggest strength. Whereas I think England have much more they're much more set in their ways. I'm a I'm a holding midfield player, I'm staying here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

And that's my concern a little bit, is that Tushwhich sees people as not being interchangeable, hence my earlier point about Bellingham and Rogers. Uh does he see one for one or can he play the two of them together? Which I I hope he has that flexibility. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't really looked at the I haven't downloaded my wall chart yet or uh got my uh kickoffs sort of worked out, but um there are some strange kickoff times. I think Arteta made the point about it's finishers rather than starters now. You do need that squad because the game is going to be 98 minutes and you know with extra time on that, there's a lot of that, particularly later deeper into the competition. So you do need to have uh fit, strong people. But I I just think for me, as I say, the only thing is that sprinkle of not stardust, that that that left field, which is it's a great squad, it's a solid squad, it should go a long way. But having that player that can just make something happen, I think, is probably not there.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

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