It would have been easy for Thomas Tuchel to cite Jude Bellingham’s recovery from a shoulder injury as the prime reason for his exclusion from the England squad to face Wales and Latvia.
It is what a long line of previous England managers would have done. They would have sugared the pill. They would have dissembled. They would have wrapped the decision in a cloak of diplomacy.
But when Tuchel said the reason he had left out Bellingham, and Phil Foden, from his party was because he wanted to stick with the players who had given the German coach’s reign lift-off with a stunning 5-0 win in Serbia last month, it was a clear departure from the past.
This was a warning to Bellingham, most of all. And to Foden, too. The days of automatic recalls for star players are over. The days when your reputation got you back into the England squad are gone.
This signals an end to the star system and there will be much rejoicing about that in many quarters. England have been hamstrung for too long by a manager’s fear of player egos and strong personalities. In that respect, at least, Tuchel has no fear.
After an uneven start, the emphatic nature and fine style of the win in Belgrade last month are allowing Tuchel to operate from a position of strength at last. It gave him a mandate to operate in whatever way he wants.
Tuchel said the reason he had left out Bellingham from his party was because he wanted to stick with the players who had given him lift-off with a stunning 5-0 win in Serbia last month
This signals an end to the star system and there will be much rejoicing about that in many quarters with England having been hamstrung for too long by a manager’s fear of player egos
There is a strong element of common-sense to the squad selection, too. Why leave out any of the players who provided that signature victory in Serbia? That would send out entirely the wrong message.
And, at the same time, let Bellingham and Foden cement their recovery from injury. A friendly against Wales and a World Cup qualifier in Riga are the perfect games to use to make a statement to players like Bellingham.
Tuchel is making it clear that the age of entitlement has been consigned to the past. The truth is that Bellingham’s body language in an England shirt screams entitlement and Tuchel has already made it crystal clear that he dislikes that attitude.
So this squad announcement is about accountability. The message to Bellingham and to others is that it does not matter what your name is and which club side you play for, you have to earn a place in the England squad on merit.
Bukayo Saka has been readmitted, even though he was not involved in Serbia, because injuries in his position opened the door to him but Saka’s attitude is beyond question anyway. He is the epitome of a team player.
Bellingham has nothing to prove as a player. He has the potential to be the most influential England star of his generation but it has become increasingly clear that Tuchel has misgivings about his attitude.
Foden has also been left out of Tuchel’s squad as he continues his own comeback from injury
The message to Bellingham and to others is that it does not matter what your name is and which club side you play for, you have to earn a place in the England squad on merit
In particular, he is concerned about the disdain he appears to harbour for many of his teammates and the effect that that has on the confidence and the harmony of the team. That is another part of the reason why he has not found a way back for him, as he has for Saka.
Tuchel is playing a long game here. No one expects Bellingham to be absent from the England squad that travels to the USA, Mexico and Canada in the summer but Tuchel wants a different Bellingham on that plane.
He wants a Bellingham who is a real leader, a player who brings the best out of teammates, not a star who can give the impression he is too good for the rest. This is the warning. Bellingham would do well to heed it.
