At A Glance:
- England now have two matches left to play before the 2026 World Cup.
- Plenty of Arsenal stars are expected to be named by Thomas Tuchel.
- Joe Cole, however, has claimed that a key Gunners star should not be name in the German’s starting XI.
England’s penultimate test before the 2026 World Cup didn’t go swimmingly and ex-Chelsea forward Joe Cole has implored Thomas Tuchel to drop a key Arsenal star from the starting line-up in order to succeed.
On Tuesday, a limp Three Lions lost 1-0 Japan – their first-ever defeat to an Asian country – and Ben White was the only Gunners player present.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both joined up with their compatriots after the 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday 27 March – but the English duo later withdrew with apparent injuries.
Read More: Every Arsenal player who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup
Arsenal winger Noni Madueke also returned to London Colney after picking up an injury in England’s drab draw against Uruguay after a reckless challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre.
For the majority of England supporters, both Saka and Rice are non-negotiables in England’s dreams of ending their 60-year drought of silverware. Madueke’s inclusion, however, is up in the air.
Arsenal star snubbed from Joe Cole’s starting England XI at World Cup
On The Dressing Room podcast, though, Joe Cole ran through who he’d start in England’s World Cup campaign. “Right, this is my England team for the World Cup,” the 44-year-old said.
Jordan Pickford was his selection between the sticks with Reece James and Nico O’Reilly flanking Manchester City duo Marc Guehi and John Stones in the middle of the back four.
Declan Rice got the nod in midfield. “Declan Rice starts in midfield and I’m going to go Elliot Anderson next to him. I would have Declan a bit deeper than where he plays for Arsenal – there’s a big push for him to play further forward but we’ve got so much already going forward.”
“I would have Jude Bellingham as the No. 10 but if he isn’t performing, you can quite easily make a change there,” he added.
Bukayo Saka, however, wasn’t as lucky when Cole ran through who should start in the front line for Tuchel’s England. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer would be his replacement on the right flank.
“I would have Cole Palmer coming in from the right like he’s been doing at Chelsea, releasing him up, and almost playing two number tens. A midfield of Rice, Anderson, Bellingham, Palmer has power, ability and goals.”
To finish his starting line-up, Cole claimed that Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane would form a team strong enough to win the lot.
“On the left I would start with Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford because he scores goals, he’s a warrior and he presses really well and has legs to run in behind and that will help Harry Kane if he’s dropping off sometimes.”
Is Bukayo Saka a shoo-in for Thomas Tuchel and England?
There’s no doubt that Bukayo Saka is currently out of form. The 24-year-old – who is a 48-cap England international – has plundered just nine goals in 42 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions.
They are, of course, not awful numbers in the grand scheme of things – but Saka is a victim of his own success.
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United (purely based on this season’s return) is his strongest competition on the right wing. In fairness, Bowen’s powering the London club through a tricky season.
| Debut | 08/10/2020 |
| Age at debut | 19 years, 1 month, 3 days |
| Matches | 48 |
| Goals | 14 |
| Assists | 9 |
But what Saka has produced for the national team over the years cannot be swept under the carpet. A two-time England Player of the Year (2022 and 2023), the London-born star has often produced the goods.
On the international stage, since his debut under Gareth Southgate in October 2020, he has scored 14 goals and notched a further nine assists.
