Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas believes Thomas Tuchel should not be sacked even if the Three Lions lose to Mexico in the early hours on Monday morning.
Instead, he backed the German to stay on for at least another tournament in charge of England, who toppled DR Congo 2-1 to book a round-of-16 showdown with the Mexicans.
Jenas did criticise Tuchel, though, suggesting Chelsea’s Reece James should not have gone to the World Cup, especially ahead of Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James was injured for the game with DR Congo, meaning Djed Spence filled in at right-back before being replaced later in the game by Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
Ridiculous selection
During this exclusive sitdown interview with 10bet, Jenas said of Tuchel’s squad selection: “I think taking Reece James to a major tournament with no real backup is just ridiculous.
“I love Reece James, I think everybody loves Reece James as a footballer, but taking him on the basis of, “Well, I’ve got Djed Spence that can fill in there” – I mean, I don’t care what anyone tells me, I will never, ever listen to anybody that tells me Trent Alexander-Arnold should not be at this World Cup.
“He is easily one of our 26 best players.
“And when you look at our lack of creativity in these games at times, we’ve kind of been a bit one-trick-pony-ish. And Trent’s not that.
“If teams sit in and you have somebody like Trent on the ball, you have to get to him because he’s just going to keep doing what he does from the halfway line if he has to.
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All on the line
“And I don’t think he needed Declan [Rice] at right-back to be the thing that stands out. I really respect Thomas Tuchel, I think he’s just laid it all on the line.
“In his mind, he’s, “If I don’t win, I don’t care if I get sacked because that’s my objective.”
“He’s not an England manager that’s looking for longevity. He’s coming in and going, “I’m going to do it my way, and if I get sacked after Mexico, I get sacked, but I gave it a go.”
“That’s what his mentality is. How Trent Alexander-Arnold is out of this squad, only he knows.
“But he’s gambling it all on that because that’s the only reason, from my point of view, why I would really question him.
“I love him as a manager, I’d love him to stick around, I think he’s great, but I think he’s given people the chance to give him stick with some of the decisions he’s made, and the right-back situation is one of them.”
Daunting task
England face a daunting task taking on hosts Mexico on home soil (kick-off 1am UK time) – but Jenas does not believe Tuchel should be axed if England fail to progress in the tournament.
The former Tottenham midfielder added: “I don’t think he deserves to lose his job. Like I said, I just think he’s given everybody a bit of an excuse to do it.
“I think, even in himself, I’m sure he would like a European Championship campaign. I probably would like to see him have two campaigns at a major tournament rather than just one.
“There are so many variables at this World Cup to deal with as a manager.
“The water breaks that have been brought into play, the weather conditions are totally different depending on where you are, you’ve got the altitude in Mexico.
“There are so many variables at play that you’re going to need a lot of luck to win it, unless you are doing what France are doing. So, he’s giving people an excuse (to sack him).”
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Michael Davey