Stan Collymore: Tuchel is still experimenting with England squad

Former England striker Stan Collymore has told NewBettingSites.com that he believes England are in a phase of bringing a new era of players into the squad, which may be the reason behind their underwhelming performances under Thomas Tuchel.

Speaking to NewBettingSites.com, Collymore said: “When you look at the squad Thomas Tuchel selected for the international break, half of them have got fewer than 10 caps, and 18 out of the 24 have fewer than 20. It’s a young squad.

“I find it interesting that he’s then said there’s no more room for errors or experiments, because effectively the whole thing is an experiment when you have that many players in the squad with little international experience.

“I look at the likes of Spain beating Turkey 6-0 and think we’re miles behind. However, you have to remember that we’re ushering out the likes of Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson and trying to bring through a new era of players. With that, there’s going to be some experimentation.”

No signs of Tuchel’s style

Collymore revealed that he is not fully convinced by Thomas Tuchel as England manager as he has not yet implemented a clear style of play in his nine months in charge of the national team.

“What worries me about Thomas Tuchel is that I can’t see a clear style of play at the moment,” said Collymore. “He said he was going to bring a high press and high-octane football, encouraging players to take risks in the attacking third, but I haven’t seen any of that.

“After the game against Andorra I gave him a five out of 10, but it’s games like the one away to Serbia which will be his biggest test. It will be a raucous atmosphere and a tough opponent. If you come through games like that with a clean sheet and two or three goals to the good, then he could move up to a six or a seven.

“Another worry for me is the lack of quality opposition we have to play before the World Cup. We have seven or eight games, plus a couple of friendlies, none of which are against top-quality sides.

“For the moment, I’d give Tuchel a five out of ten for what he’s done as England manager. I’m not seeing a clear enough style on the pitch yet.”

James is better than Trent

The former Liverpool forward also spoke on the ongoing debate between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James, siding with the Chelsea defender as the man he believes should be England’s first-choice right-back.

“If Reece James is fully fit, he’s a better right-back than Trent Alexander-Arnold,” he said. “Trent obviously gives you an unmatched ability with his passing, but James is certainly not a shabby passer of the ball.

“If James can stay fit then the right-back position is his to lose. Trent is still in a settling-in period at Real Madrid and I don’t doubt he’ll be back in the England squad vying for a position, but for now James is the number one. He showed his quality with a beautiful cross for England’s second goal against Andorra and if he can get through the season fit and healthy he’ll be Tuchel’s first choice.”

Grealish could start at the World Cup

Looking at England’s wide options, Collymore believes that Jack Grealish could earn himself a starting spot at the World Cup should he continue his fine form for Everton.

“There is a lot of competition for minutes on the wing for England and I do like Noni Madueke,” said Collymore. “There have been calls for Jarrod Bowen to start ahead of him, but it’s not just Bowen he’s competing with. You’ve got the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish as well.

“One, or both, of Madueke or Bowen will go to the World Cup, as will Anthony Gordon. But I don’t think we need to worry about any of them being first choice on the right, because that will be Bukayo Saka’s spot.

“I just want to see two settled wide men either side of Harry Kane. I think it will be Bukayo Saka on the right and I’ve got a sneaky feeling that, if he can continue his form at Everton, Jack Grealish could start on the left come the World Cup. He’ll want to go into the tournament with experienced players that he can trust to do a job.”