When Thomas Tuchel sat down to finalise England's 2026 World Cup squad, he made several decisions that were uncomfortable but defensible. Leaving out Phil Foden was one of them. The Manchester City midfielder, who had dazzled European football just two seasons ago, found himself on the wrong side of a selection that prioritised current form over past reputation. It was a call that Tuchel was not apologetic about, and his reasoning was difficult to argue with: Foden has barely started for City in the second half of this season.
A Season That Slipped Away
This has not been the Foden of 2023 or 2024. The vibrancy that made him England's brightest talent through two major tournaments seemed to drain away as the calendar turned into 2026, and City's own struggles as a collective did not help him individually. He appeared as a non-playing substitute in City's FA Cup final victory last week, which told its own story about where he currently sits in Pep Guardiola's thinking. His touches, when he did play, lacked the spark of previous years, and Tuchel — a manager who watches far more footage than he lets on publicly — noticed. The German coach has repeatedly said that he picks teams, not reputations, and he has been good to his word.
The Schedule Argument Has Some Merit
There are those who argue that Foden is simply running on empty after too many consecutive years of tournament football without a proper break. The PFA has weighed in through their chief executive, who pointed to a schedule described as "crazy" for players who featured prominently at Euro 2024 and then went through the expanded Club World Cup last summer. It is a fair observation, and one that adds some context to Foden's dip in form. A 26-year-old should not look as fatigued as he has at times this season, but the physical and mental demands placed on elite players have intensified with every passing year, and the consequences are now becoming visible. Foden is arguably the most prominent casualty of a structure that asks too much of the best performers.
What Tuchel Chose Instead
Tuchel opted for shape and balance over individual brilliance in the wide creative positions. He trusts his system to generate enough from wider areas without needing a genius-level contributor operating between the lines. Whether that proves to be the right call in North America will depend largely on how England's collective responds when tournament pressure arrives. Foden, for his part, is young enough that this will not be the final chapter. If he can rediscover his best football in the new season, Tuchel has shown he has no loyalty to previous omissions. The door is not closed — it is simply shut for now.
World Cup context: England's squad was announced on May 22, 2026 by manager Thomas Tuchel. Phil Foden, 26, has made 34 appearances for England. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with England placed in Group L.
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