Tuchel Insists No Problem with Bellingham, Phil Foden, or Jack Grealish
England's Head Coach Thomas Tuchel asserted that he has "no problem" with Phil Foden following these players were omitted the England team for upcoming matches against Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham did not earn a recall despite returning from a shoulder injury, whereas Foden and Grealish also miss out despite showing a return to form with their clubs.
The German manager revealed that the 22-year-old wanted to be part of the squad, after a conversation with him on the phone.
"He is a special player, and for exceptional talents there can always be exceptions," the coach said regarding Bellingham, who has made just one start since returning to fitness.
"But we opted to maintain the straightforward decision of inviting the same group.
"Jude always deserves to be here. There is also the situation that he has not fully found his full rhythm again at Real Madrid - he has not finished a full match.
"The player expressed a desire to be selected. We conducted a phone call."
Tuchel made an effort to highlight his good rapport with the midfielder following he said sorry to him previously for calling his on-pitch behavior as "disgusting" in a televised interview.
Tuchel stated that he used the words "unintentionally" and would be more cautious in future.
When asked if he had a problem with Bellingham, he said: "None. There is also no problem with Foden or Grealish.
"Phil is back to impacting and deciding games for his club. Jack is very close to returning to the top form of himself.
"There is no personal issue."
Bukayo Saka replacing the injured Noni Madueke is the sole alteration to the previous team, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Quansah retaining their places after being late additions last month due to fitness concerns.
The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on this Thursday before a qualifying match in Riga on 14 October.
If England win in Latvia, they will require a up to two more points from their final two qualifiers - against Albania and Serbia in November - to earn a spot in the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Strong Performance Under the Manager
England produced their best display significantly under Tuchel's leadership when they beat Serbia five-nil away in Belgrade in their previous match.
Tuchel says that showing made it an straightforward choice to stick with largely the same squad, though "there are no certainties" for any player regarding being picked.
"The last camp was only a few weeks ago and the cohesion and morale was on the highest level. That is why we chose to call up the same group to this camp," he said.
"Foden is in a very good moment. Wharton merits to be with us. Curtis Jones and Chalobah are getting playing time with their teams.
"We have players who deserve to be here. Cole Palmer is injured and is a key talent. It will consistently remain the case.
"Are we a stronger side with Bellingham? Yes. But I mentioned before, what do we do if he is unavailable before the tournament? Do we just cancel?"
The Manager's Media Briefing Gets Noticed
The England manager again delivered a headline-grabbing news conference.
Tuchel, a master of managing his interactions with the media, started with an opening statement to explain his thinking for his decisions.
Bellingham is ready to play and wanted to join to camp, but the coach has said he did not want to alter the squad too much after a impressive five-goal victory over their opponents - where the manager said team spirit was extremely strong.
However with Tuchel not selecting Bellingham, and his frequent comments about team spirit, it is hard not to connect the aspects - although Tuchel insisted repeatedly how Bellingham is "special" and that there is "no problem" between him and one of the national team's key talents.
Tuchel has consistently made it clear that he aimed to make the England squad feel like a club side and, by keeping the same squad after a big victory, he has done that. But the inquiries will arise once more in the next camp if England perform strongly in these upcoming fixtures.