'They set the standards': Thomas Tuchel speaks after England World Cup squad announcement

Of course you saw our squad selection for the World Cup, which is an exciting day for me and I think for everyone selected.I think from day one we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players.Teams win championships, it's as simple as that.What we are trying to achieve in summer can only be achieved as a team.That in mind, we chose a very balanced squad.We chose three goalkeepers plus Jason Steele.

I want to take the opportunity and thank Jason for being brilliant and thank Brighton for being so cooperative and supportive.We chose nine defenders for four positions.We chose seven midfielders for three positions and we chose seven strikers for three positions.I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26 100 % committed players in camp with us who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.The squad, I think, has a significant number of players that will compete for starting minutes and starting places.That gives us also the chance to rotate on a very high level and a significant number of players who carry the sportive responsibility on highest level.

We have a huge chunk of usefulness in the squad.We have sixwho won titles with the under -21s.We have Kobe, who is still young and has already won his titles.We have Nico O 'Reilly on top, who is very young and has already won his medals.We have specialists with us, specialists for all kinds of different scenarios, when we're leading, when we're chasing a game, when we're chasing a result.

We always said we want to be a strong set -piece team, so we have specialists for that.And we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that.and last and for sure not least we have a decent leadership group in camp we have a decent leadership group with us in the world cup the leadership group took care and ownership in a very special way from september onwards They created a culture, they set the tone, they set the standards, created and took care of the standards and we were very happy with that.And that is why the majority of this team and that this majority of the selection is from the players who were with us in September, October and November.It's important for me to say that I am very grateful to all players who helped us qualify, to all players who had sometimes only one of six camps with us.Very grateful and I tried to show my respect and my appreciation for what they have done in telling them in personal phone calls in the last three days about my decision.

So I called every player that was at least once with us personally to tell them my decision, even if it was a painful decision orit was a disappointing message.We believe that it has to be delivered from me. I will not go into details of course but I try to explain my decision and try to express my appreciation and respect for the player.Hundreds.

Hundreds.Simon, it's nice to see you and thanks for explaining that.That's very helpful.You've surprised us again.I wanted to start with perhaps what we thought was the biggest surprise and that's Ivan Toni's inclusion.He's played a total of seven minutes of international football in your 16 months in charge.

He wasn't on a lot of people's radar and yet here he is in your World Cup squad.Can you explain that to us?

Also a bit of a surprise to us.Like I said, when it came down to all different kinds of scenarios, he was back in the picture.I had fantastic feedback from his club coach, who was my player, and I have a close connection with him.Always fantastic feedback about his role there, about his ability, about his fitness.We could see that he still collects the numbers.I think he has very special skills that could help us, meaning the situation, the scenario when we are chasing a result, when we are chasing a goal.

I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane.He can be a presence in the box when we're pushing for a goal.He can take attention off other strikers.He has a natural presence within the box.He's a natural finisher.He can help us with set pieces because he's very strong in the air.

Very good in using his body.And not to forget, he's a world -class penalty taker.

so he ticks some boxes that we wanted to be ticked you made it clear again in your opening statement that reputation big names are not necessarily what matters to you it's how they fit in the collective and you've said that consistently I think in all your time in charge to be fair but there are some World -class talents that are not in this squad that other nations will look at and say how are Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander -Arnold Etc.Morgan Gibbs -White, you know, are they not in this squad?How have you left them out?Do you fear leaving their talents out?Do you fear leaving those talents at home at all?How I felt, how I feel.

A fear?Yeah, do you fear leaving those talents at home?No, I don't fear because I'm very confident in the group that we chose and with whom we arrived.Very difficult decisions, painful conversations, difficult for the players, difficult to explain to the players.But as I said, what we're trying to achieve, we try to achieve as a team and we try to nominate a balanced squad.If everyone is selected, it was a given that from these 55 players, we have to leave some extraordinary talent, some extraordinary personalities at home.

Either way, if we would have picked all these names, some other big five names would have been out and we would talk about these names.That comes with the job.I like these kinds of decisions, even if they took us weeks and sometimes months to clarify the decisions.I think they bring clarity.I think they bring, in the end, a certain edge that is necessary.I try to explain the reasons for that.

Could they be in camp?Did they do anything wrong?No.Could they be in camp?Yes, 100 % sure.But for some of them it's just the amount of players on a certain position.

We didn't want to play the players out of position so much and we want to give them a clear role and it comes with difficult and maybe hard choices in the build -up to the tournament.

Hi Thomas, it's a lot of painful decisions to make for players and difficult phone calls.One player who's released a statement saying he was disappointed was Harry Maguire.Do you understand him releasing a statement or were you a bit surprised to see that after you spoke to him?

I was a bit surprised.but I respect his personality a lot.I respect his quality a lot.He had an outstanding season.I can see the disappointment.I can see the reason behind the disappointment.

Still, I was a bit surprised because we had a private conversation and he had the chance to express his feelings, which he did, and this is fair enough because I can see all the reasons why he could be in the squad.But the decision is that we that we stood firmly with our central defenders that carried us through September, October, November.Some of them are part of a leadership group that took ownership and set the standards high.It was a decision for these 23, for these 26 players, even if it feels that it's against individuals.

Can you confirm the make -up of the leadership group and how you came to make those decisions with regard to the identity of those players?How I decided who's in the leadership group?

Yeah, or why you decided that we had a March camp and we had a June camp and that it was was pretty clear for us who should be in there.I see no value in sharing it with you to be honest.So I will keep it.I will keep it to myself.It's a it's a group of five, six players and this is always like it's always a fluidity possible in the group, but they took ownership.They took care.

and they were massively influential and I was very, very happy with the way they acted and interacted and how they stepped up.So there is no need to change that.

" Any extra players for the Florida camp to make up for the Arsenal players and Dean Henderson missing out because of their commitments at club level?

Yeah, I think Dino is not an issue because we have Jason Steele in camp so we can start with three goalkeepers and later we have four.But yeah, we will take some young players out who will train with us and keep the squad in the size that we need, that we have all the possibilities also for the two friendly matches, to take care about the minutes and the load of the players.So this will be Alex Scott is confirmed, Rio Ingo Moa is confirmed, and Josh King, and there will be one more player which we cannot name because it's... not confirmed yet.But I'm happy that these guys are with us, especially Alex, who was even on the list of 55 and had a kind of a disappointing phone call as well, that he didn't make the first cut.But the reaction of him was outstanding.The commitment, the wish to be in pre -camp and to just be a step closer to the team was just...

It was not even a question for him.This showed me his character and his spirit so I'm delighted that he's with us because it was a close call and gets a chance to take a step closer and to get a cap.Keri?

Thomas, a big day for you.I know how much you love your players.I know it's been a really tough 48 hours, but you were brought in here to make tough decisions.You're a winner.60 years of hurt now.What makes you believe you can win this World Cup?

I heard recently a quote from from Rafa Nadal who said I'm not a winner, I'm a competitor, I'm a challenger and that is basically how I arrive in the US for this tournament.I'm hungry, I arrive with hunger, I arrive with excitement and I arrive as a competitor and as a challenger and I think that is the role for us as a team.That is how I want the team to play, this is how I want the team to to develop and this is why we picked that squad and that's why I'm so sure that we picked the right squad.It is about building a brotherhood, it is about building excitement and a certain energy and then I feel that we can transmit this to our fans who are either in the stadium or back here in England pushing.Once we get this energy right, everything is possible.We said it very early, we will try to go all the way.

We will try to win this tournament, but it's very, very quickly.It just makes no sense to try and digest the whole cake at once.We will chunk it up.We will try to have the best possible pre -camp, have a little break in between and then go to Kansas, switch locations and go into the tunnel to start the group phase.

Where there is no doubt in quality is Morgan Rodgers and Jude Bellingham.Some people will see that as a problem in terms of selection.How do you prepare to handle a very nice problem?

I think they are like...They're just two of the names who are potential starters, who are potential starters on the same position.I think there is..variety within these positions so they can also play together.That should not be a problem.If they compete for one position through the tournament, I think it is possible to compete for a position as accomplices.

And you don't have to be enemies.In the example of Morgan Rodgers and Jude Bellingham, they're friends anyway.So we have a couple of others.We have Bukayo Sako and Noni, who fight for the same place in the club.And I strongly believe that it is possible that you fight for your place and still push.your friend, your colleague, especially in international football, to the best possible performance.

That will come back to you.We took a lot of care about that, that exactly this energy is right.They know their roles.I have no doubt that we chose the right players.I have no doubt that Jude and Morgan will get along well.I have no doubt that they will be both decisive for us.