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Trent Alexander-Arnold recalled by England but with a warning from Thomas Tuchel

Real Madrid player must help improve defensive solidity Scott, Hall, Lewis-Skelly and Calvert-Lewin selected Thomas Tuchel has told Trent Alexander-Arnold he must bring defensive solidity to the England squad after giving him a surprise recall for the upcoming Nations League matches. The head coach has selected the Real Madrid right-back only once before – for the games against Andorra and Senegal in June last year. Tuchel made headlines when he did so by urging Alexander-Arnold to focus on the defensive side of his game or risk a slip that could undermine the team’s World Cup campaign. Continue reading...

‘Embrace the chaos’: Tuchel aims to harness England’s football culture

Head coach says he must accept lack of control in games ‘Deep down, English players … they go for it’ Thomas Tuchel has admitted there are times when he craves greater control in matches. But the England head coach feels the more chaotic, adrenaline-fuelled nature of the Premier League will remain his template as he targets glory at Euro 2028. Tuchel described his team as “maybe not the most economical to play football” in terms of their habit of constantly playing at full throttle. They lost to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in July when they had nothing left in the tank and watched the game slip away after going 1-0 up in the 55th minute. England barely touched the ball thereafter, had no control and were reeled in, Argentina winning with two late goals. Continue reading...

Case not proven: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England recall is based on patchy evidence

Thomas Tuchel promises to play the full-back in his natural right-sided position but we have not seen enough of him this term to gauge his form Thomas Tuchel said Trent Alexander Arnold had enjoyed a good start to the season, which came as news to those in England who have not been watching him at Real Madrid. It also, in truth, came as news to those in Spain who have. If the England manager did not see enough in Alexander-Arnold to include him in the World Cup in the summer he has not really had the chance to see enough to change that decision as autumn begins. Two unremarkable league starts provide insufficient evidence with which to make a case for the full-back’s recall, or indeed his exclusion, but he is in the squad. Alexander-Arnold’s most high-profile match this season has been against Inter at the Santiago Bernabéu . That night, he started from the middle of midfield. At the pre-match press conference, José Mourinho had refused to answer a direct and apparently well-informed question about employing the right-back in midfield, given the absence through injury or suspension of Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Thiago Pitarch, as well as his determined conclusion that Jude Bellingham is better used further up. Continue reading...

Tuchel should listen to ‘the 0.1%’ and learn from England’s World Cup mistakes | Jacob Steinberg

Head coach is keen to focus on positives but Nations League squad hints at desire for greater tactical options Thomas Tuchel should be listening to the 0.1%. As he unveiled his first England squad since the World Cup, he said 99.9% of supporters he bumped into did not talk about his substitutions during the Argentina game. According to him, the conversation is far more positive. Memories are shared of the knockout wins over Mexico and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It seems those who want to take the England head coach to task over the retreat in the semi-final in Atlanta are in the minority. This is, of course, hard to quantify. Is it really 99.9%? We can take Tuchel at face value, but relying on anecdotal evidence goes two ways. A lot of fans are not ready to move on yet. The national mood is far more downbeat than Tuchel imagines and he is kidding himself if he thinks people have forgiven the way England folded after going 1-0 up against Argentina early in the second half. Continue reading...

'Embrace the chaos' - What we learnt from Tuchel's England picks

Palmer and Alexander-Arnold recalled to England squad

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer have been recalled to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming Nations League games.

Tuchel recalls Alexander-Arnold and Palmer with warning

England boss Thomas Tuchel recalls Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer but says players have to "perform".

Official: Spain’s Nations League squad includes Inter goalkeeper Martinez

Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez has earned a call-up to the Spain national team for the...

Tuchel considers England recall for Cole Palmer in Nations League squad

Chelsea forward back in form after World Cup snub Alex Scott and Morgan Gibbs-White also in contention Thomas Tuchel is considering an England recall for Cole Palmer and could include Alex Scott in his squad for the Nations League. Tuchel’s first selection since the World Cup will be confirmed on Friday morning and the head coach has been weighing up claims from a host of players who failed to earn a place in his plans last summer. Palmer was one of those to miss out after struggling for form and fitness but the Chelsea attacker has started the season with four goals and two assists , raising optimism around his hopes of inclusion. Continue reading...

Carlos Espí gives Real Madrid hope in the face of Barcelona’s La Liga storm | Sid Lowe

With Barcelona racking up seven-goal thrillers, Real Madrid could not afford a collapse. Enter the forward quietly turning into José Mourinho’s ultimate secret weapon José Mourinho called and Carlos Espí came to his side. It was late, it was noisy and it was almost over – the match and maybe even something more – when Real Madrid’s coach took the forward who is also his flatmate to one side on Tuesday night. Standing close, Mourinho had a message to deliver; he also had a piece of paper. Small, folded, half-hidden in his hand, it was not big enough for much more than a single word, shown almost surreptitiously, the request written on it, like what he had whispered in Espí’s ear, left to your imagination . Put ball in goal , perhaps. Or: Help . So he did. Madrid needed him to, which they should not have. Two goals up inside half an hour at Elche on Tuesday night, they could have added a third or a fourth, maybe even a fifth, before half-time. But, thinking it was as done as it really should have been, their minds perhaps on Sunday’s derby at Atlético too, they had stopped again, drifting. Vinícius Júnior had gone, Arda Guler had gone, Aurélien Tchouaméni might as well have done, barely able to move any more, and now, somehow, the game was going. Goals from Abiel Osorio in the 71st minute and Fer Niño in the 83rd had made it 2-2. Continue reading...

Eating grass, meditation and more – What Tuchel said in viral documentary

Thomas Tuchel wishes he'd eaten grass from the Azteca pitch after England's World Cup win over Mexico this summer.

Mourinho questions Barça, Atlético penalty calls

José Mourinho called into question the penalties awarded to Real Madrid's LaLiga rivals Barcelona and Atlético Madrid this weekend, joking with journalists about the lack of focus on the topic in a news conference on Monday.

European football: Dortmund win again but Freiburg top after Gladbach rout

Milan come from behind in 2-2 draw with Lazio Kylian Mbappé strikes twice as Real Madrid cruise Felix Nmecha scored twice and Fábio Silva grabbed another as Borussia Dortmund won 3-0 at home to promoted Paderborn to continue their perfect start in the Bundesliga. Dortmund’s win made it three from three in the league this campaign, their best start in 11 seasons, dating back to Thomas Tuchel’s time. Starting up front alongside Serhou Guirassy for the first time this season, Silva converted a clever pass from the Guinean to give the hosts the lead after five minutes. Guirassy had two goals disallowed for offside in the first half but Dortmund were rarely troubled by the toothless visitors, who are yet to score since returning to the top flight. Continue reading...

Chelsea are out of control: Is this what new coach Xabi Alonso wants?

Chelsea are a team out of control under Xabi Alonso: Will it continue and, more importantly, will it keep working for them?

⭐ Everyone who is nominated for 2026 Ballon d'Or

The 2026 Ballon d'Or short lists are out. Here's who could win the biggest individual prizes in men's and women's soccer.

Declan Rice shrugs off Arsenal concerns and says 60 games a season is sustainable

Arsenal are monitoring midfielder’s workload Rice received painkilling injections last season Declan Rice has insisted his body can sustain more than 60 appearances again this season, despite Arsenal’s concerns after he played through pain at the World Cup. Rice racked up 69 appearances last season for Arsenal and England but revealed during the World Cup he had been managing neural back and hamstring pain, for which he is understood to have received a pain-killing injection, after a hamstring injury in December. It is understood Arsenal are monitoring the 27-year-old’s workload closely after he had only three weeks off before returning to training a week before the Community Shield last month. Continue reading...

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 power rankings: will there be an English winner for the first time in 25 years?

We assess the standing of the players on the shortlist for the award before the winner is announced in October 1) Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich) Even adjusting for the goal-drunken Bundesliga, his 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern last season undersells his all-around impact, considering his playmaking and hold-up skills. Kane was gameplanned out of England’s later games at the World Cup, but he was unstoppable through the last 16 to close out the finest year of his career to date. If not now, when? Continue reading...

Stones praised after Champions League debut with Inter: ‘Set the defensive guidelines’

Former Inter and Italy striker Aldo Serena is impressed by John Stones’ impact against Real...