Former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey has praised England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup 2026 semi-final showdown with Argentina.
Ex-Leicester City hitman Heskey thinks former Chelsea boss Tuchel is going about the tournament the right way to such an extent he calls for no big changes ahead of the last-four clash with Lionel Messi and co (kick-off 8pm UK time).
Heskey also lauded the former Bayern Munich boss for sticking to his guns when it comes to squad selection and tactics and believes he was right to drop Chelsea forward Cole Palmer and Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden from his plans.
Wing and a prayer
During an exclusive, sit-down interview with 10bet, Heskey discussed Wednesday night’s World Cup 2026 semi-final with Argentina, saying: “Probably no changes are needed, in my opinion.
“I thought it worked quite well [in Saturday’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway].
“The only thing that you could probably mix up is changing your wingers, so maybe [Bukayo] Saka comes in for [Noni] Madueke on Wednesday night.
“Everything else, I think, works. So that’s the only change I could possibly see.”
Tuchel keeping his word
Tuchel has displayed determination and tactical ability, getting the best out of star men Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have both bagged six goals in the tournament so far.
Heskey stated on Tuchel: “He doesn’t bow to outside pressure.
“He has his own thought process, he executes it and he deals with whatever comes.
“If any negativity comes with his choices, then so be it – he’ll accept that. He has to do it his way.
“Before, you would see managers bow to what the media, the fans and the ex-players were saying about how things should be done, but then you’re not being true to yourself, are you?
“He has been true to himself, and he has kept to his word.”
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Belief in his players
Heskey continued: “He has played the players he believes will get him to where he needs to be.
“He brought in players who people believed shouldn’t be there, but those players are showing that he’s getting his money’s worth out of them.
“It actually helps being a foreign manager because you don’t have that deep-rooted connection to the local noise.
“You don’t get bogged down in thinking, ‘Oh, what are the media going to say? What is this going to do?’”
Breath of fresh air
Heskey added: “As a foreign coach, you don’t care about half of the stuff being said.
“Even now, it feels like a breath of fresh air.
“Nobody slips under the radar just because of the club they play for.
“If you’re playing well, he’s going to pick you; if you’re not, he won’t.
“He’s completely unapologetic with it. It is what it is and I like it.”
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German picked proven performers
Tuchel’s squad selection before the tournament caused a stir among fans and pundits alike.
And Heskey said: “Let’s be honest – certain managers would have felt forced to pick Phil Foden or Cole Palmer.
“We had pundits saying they would have started Cole Palmer. But they haven’t had consistent seasons.
“I love Phil Foden, I think he’s a brilliant player, but if you haven’t had a consistent season and you haven’t played well, it’s on the manager if he picks you over someone who has performed well this year.
“We all know there has been a lot of chat about the right-back situation, and in many ways, it hasn’t mattered because England have risen to every challenge, but even with that, you can see from the group of players he selected, he had the position more than covered.
“Djed Spence is basically a right-back but he can play on the left as well.
“He also took Jarell Quansah and Reece James, and he looked at Ezri Konsa as someone who could fill in at right-back if needed. He actually covered all the bases.
“My only question initially was whether he should have picked another specialist left-back, but he clearly looked at Djed Spence as someone who covers both positions.”
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