Former France defender Marcel Desailly has emphatically dismissed England’s chances of winning the upcoming World Cup, comparing their psychological hurdles to those of Portugal.
Desailly, a World Cup winner in 1998, argued that despite the prestige of the Premier League generating constant optimism, the Three Lions consistently fail to convert individual talent into tournament victories.
He also backed manager Thomas Tuchel’s ruthless squad selection, defending the high-profile omissions of both Harry Maguire and Cole Palmer by asserting that tournament football requires tactical discipline and a “killer mentality” rather than raw creativity.
Blunt assessment
During an exclusive conversation with MrRaffle.com, Desailly delivered a blunt assessment of England’s World Cup prospects.
When asked if they could lift the Jules Rimet trophy come the end of the tournament, the former Chelsea defender said: “No. The answer is straight away no. No. Because over the years, you know… it’s painful. It’s painful for me to say no.
“For them to have the belief that eventually something can happen… I feel they are in the same position as Portugal.
“When you identify the individual players that Cristiano Ronaldo has in his team, England is not far from that level. So we have been so disappointed.
Generation game
“In 2022, yes, there was the Harry Kane penalty, fine, but the team and the squad were strong and good.
“If you look at all the generations, every single year because of the Premier League’s prestige, we hope that England will do it.
“It goes back to my generation with Michael Owen and all of them. I don’t want to talk too much about my generation because it was a long time ago!
“But from my generation to now, they’ve been having great players.
“Every two World Cups you have a generation that comes up that has the potential to win it.
“This time, if you are English, you should just put down your expertise and just watch.
“Watch, and if the confidence comes from the beginning with the talent you have in the squad, maybe all together at the same time you might be able to make the difference.
“Are their individual players capable of making the difference every single time to make you a World Cup winner? I’m not sure, but the potential is there.”
READ MORE: Liverpool appoint Andoni Iraola as new head coach after Arne Slot exit
No real value in duo
Tuchel caused a stir when he overlooked in-form Manchester United defender Maguire on the announcement of his squad for World Cup 2026.
And ex AC Milan powerhouse Desailly added: “He’s a leader. But probably it was too late in the course of the season to think that, for the World Cup, he could be a real value for this England team.
“It is the same as Cole Palmer, who has been left out of the system. It goes back to what I was telling you before.
“The manager felt that inside the group, Palmer doesn’t bring that extra value – that killer mentality needed for the team.
“As I said, the talent is there, but something is missing outside of pure talent.
“So probably the manager has identified those problems and decided to leave them out.
“For Maguire, it’s not quite the same, but for Palmer, the manager would rather have players who might have less ability or creativity, but at least they are killers and can adapt themselves to the philosophy that Thomas Tuchel will put in place.”
READ NEXT: Chelsea news: Marcel Desailly urges Enzo Fernández to have more respect for Blues
Michael Davey