Ashley Cole thinks Thomas Tuchel has made huge mistake by omitting England player who can 'dominate and control games'
Ashley Cole understands Thomas Tuchel's thinking for World Cup squad selection but believes the group might just have benefitted from the presence of a surprise player.
Tuchel picked a squad of 26 for the showpiece in North America but chose to leave out a host of huge names, including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, Adam Wharton and Morgan Gibbs-White and Lewis Hall.
His decision to select the likes of Ivan Toney and Jordan Henderson also caused a huge stir but Tuchel defended his choices and Cole, who was capped 107 times by his country before taking up a coaching role in the national team, is aware of why the German has made bold calls.
“There are always players who are unlucky, but I understand how squad selection works," Cole told SPORTbible at a Heineken event after the Champions League final in Budapest.
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"Thomas is happy with the squad because he feels that squad can fulfil the demands that he's asking and the expectations on the pitch.
"Whenever someone is left out, there will be question marks. Thomas has been clear in his style of play. The players need to fit that style and he has to make the decision. It's not for me to question that but he has his own methodology and feels that this squad is good enough to win a World Cup.”
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England's squad is still brimming with elite-level players, particularly across midfield and attack and it was inevitable that some top talents were going to miss out.
Former England star Ashley Cole names surprise England star who has 'huge career' ahead of him
Their long search for a controlling midfielder appears to have been solved by Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, who now looks set to partner Declan Rice for England in the tournament.
However, Cole talked up a different English midfielder who he rates highly. Cole worked with Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones in the Under 21 set-up when Lee Carsley's side beat Spain to win the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Jones scored the winner in the final and was later brought into the senior squad when Carsley was named England interim boss and Cole assisted him.
He has been capped five times and scored on his debut with a deft backheel flick against Greece but was not seriously in contention for the World Cup this summer.
That is despite Cole raving about the 25-year-old, who has been heavily linked with a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan.
“I’m a huge fan of Curtis Jones," he stated.
“Positionally, he can play anywhere on the football pitch. He’s smart, he's clever and he understands where the space,.
"He can build play, he can be a really sitter as a six but he can dominate and control games for you. He can get you up the pitch fast because he can dribble. He can find the pass through the line, support attacks and finish when needed.
“He's someone I worked within the Under-21s, and even though he hasn’t always played huge minutes at Liverpool, I think he has a huge career ahead of him.”
Cole's career at international level included appearances at five major tournaments, including three World Cups.
He played from 2001 to 2014 and worked alongside all-time greats. However, one player came to mind when he asked if there was one player who deserved more caps.
Cole picked out former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge, a fellow left-back who played 36 times for England.
“Maybe Wayne Bridge," Cole admitted.
"At the time we had players like Joe Cole, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and Trevor Sinclair playing on the left. But perhaps there was a way to get Wayne into the team more often - behind me defensively and maybe a little bit more attacking.”
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Topics: Ashley Cole, Thomas Tuchel, England
Josh Lawless