Thomas Tuchel recently made a statement with England. For the upcoming international break, the Three Lions coach is focusing on consistency and leaving Jude Bellingham out of the squad.

Rarely convincing in terms of play, but with a flawless record, England could already qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States during the upcoming international break. National coach Thomas Tuchel and the Three Lions have won all five qualifying games so far, but the manner in which they have done so has recently been met with repeated criticism.

With a clear 5-0 victory over their strongest rivals in Serbia, Tuchel is now hoping for a turning point. This is also reflected in the call-ups for the upcoming matches against Wales (Thursday, October 9, 8:45 p.m.) and Latvia (Tuesday, October 14, 8:45 p.m.), with the 52-year-old focusing on consistency. As a result, he has made almost no changes to his squad.

Only Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka returns to the national team after overcoming thigh problems to replace his injured teammate Noni Madueke. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek retain their places in the Three Lions squad after their late nominations. In addition to the B04 center back, captain Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) is another Bundesliga player in the squad.

Grealish and Foden not considered

For a number of top players, however, there is nothing to show for it for the time being—above all for Jude Bellingham. However, in the case of the former Borussia player, this is probably just a measure to manage his workload. The 22-year-old only returned at the end of September after his shoulder injury and has only played in four games since then. Somewhat more surprising are the non-nominations of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.

Both had been in impressive form at the start of the new season. After his loan move from Manchester City to Everton, Grealish leads the Premier League in assists (4) and was recently named Player of the Month for August. The 30-year-old was last called up under interim manager Lee Carsley in October 2024.

His former teammate Foden also has to remain patient despite his good form (four goal contributions in seven games across all competitions). The 45-time international missed the last few international games due to an ankle injury. Instead, Tuchel is once again putting his trust in 35-year-old Jordan Henderson, among others.