Form is temporary; for now, it has cost them everything
In the span of two years, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have traveled the full arc of modern football's cruelty — from Euro 2024 finalists collecting the game's highest individual honors to omission from England's World Cup squad. Thomas Tuchel, unmoved by reputation, has chosen the present tense over the past, rewarding those who are performing now over those who once promised everything. It is a reminder that in sport, as in life, yesterday's brilliance offers no guarantee of tomorrow's selection.
- Two players who seemed destined to anchor England's attack for a decade have been left out of the World Cup squad entirely, a fall from grace as swift as it is stark.
- Palmer's Premier League goal tally collapsed from a blistering pace to just nine in 25 appearances, while Foden has not scored since December — form so poor it became impossible to ignore.
- A March friendly against Uruguay became the quiet verdict: Tuchel substituted Foden after 56 minutes, replacing him with Palmer, and neither man made a convincing case for inclusion.
- Tuchel's selection philosophy is unambiguous — form over pedigree, hunger over history — and younger players like Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers have filled the void with purpose.
- The World Cup squad now reflects a shift in England's attacking hierarchy, one that Foden and Palmer must watch from the outside, left to reckon with how quickly certainty can dissolve.
Two years ago, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer looked like England's future made flesh. Both had played in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, both were in their early twenties, and both collected the game's most prestigious individual awards at a ceremony in Manchester — Palmer taking the PFA young player of the year, Foden the senior prize. They were supposed to be fixtures in the England setup for the next decade.
Then the goals stopped coming. Palmer, who had scored 37 Premier League goals across his first two Chelsea seasons, managed only nine this time around. Foden's decline was sharper still — six goals in five games in December, then nothing. A backheel assist against Crystal Palace felt more like a ghost of his ability than proof of its return.
Thomas Tuchel had made his priorities clear from the start: form would decide selection, not reputation. The moment that seemed to crystallize his thinking came in a March friendly against Uruguay, where Foden was handed the chance to lead the attack with Harry Kane rested. He drifted, peripheral and ineffective, and was substituted eleven minutes into the second half — replaced by Palmer, who could not rescue the situation either. England drew with Uruguay and lost to Japan. Neither player had made their case.
The omissions extended further. Morgan Gibbs-White, despite scoring 14 Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest, was also left out — his club form insufficient to overcome his absence from Tuchel's plans.
In their place, players who had seized their moments were rewarded. Morgan Rogers had been trusted throughout Tuchel's tenure. Eberechi Eze, despite modest league numbers, had scored three goals in six World Cup qualifiers and his absence through injury in March had only underlined how much England missed him. Tuchel had seen enough.
For Foden and Palmer, the reckoning is a simple one: a temporary dip in form has cost them a place at the World Cup. The future they were supposed to own has, for now, passed to someone else.
Two years ago, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were the answer to England's future. They had just played in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, Palmer coming off the bench to equalize within three minutes, Foden starting the match. Both were 22 and 23 respectively, young enough to anchor a generation, accomplished enough to have already won the game's biggest individual honors. Palmer took home England's men's player of the year award and the PFA young player of the year. Foden claimed the senior PFA award. They collected their trophies together at the Opera House in Manchester, two products of the Manchester City academy—Palmer a year younger—destined to be fixtures in every England squad for the next decade.
Then form collapsed. Palmer, who had scored 37 Premier League goals in his first two seasons at Chelsea, managed only nine in 25 appearances this season. The sharpness that had defined him vanished. Foden's decline was even starker. After a purple patch in December when he scored six goals in five games, he went silent. Since then, nothing. In the 2023-24 season he had plundered 19 Premier League goals; this year the well ran dry. A backheel assist against Crystal Palace earlier this month stood as the exception, a reminder of what he could do rather than evidence of what he was doing.
Thomas Tuchel, England's new coach, did not need to pick his squad on reputation. The number 10 role had become crowded with hungry alternatives, and Tuchel had made clear from the start that form would trump pedigree. The decisive moment came in March, during a friendly against Uruguay. With Harry Kane rested, Foden was given the chance to stake his claim in the role. He floated around the pitch, a peripheral figure, dropping deep in search of the ball. Eleven minutes into the second half, Tuchel replaced him—with Palmer. The experiment had failed. Looking back now, that substitution feels like the moment Tuchel made his decision.
Palmer got his own chance in that same match but could not resurrect his case either. England drew 1-1 with Uruguay and then lost 1-0 to Japan, both performances described as uninspiring. Neither player had done enough to convince Tuchel they belonged in the World Cup squad. The omissions were expected but still stark: two players who had seemed certain to be cornerstones of England's attack were now not even in the conversation.
Tuchel's ruthlessness extended beyond Foden and Palmer. Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest's joint top English scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals, did not make the cut either. Gibbs-White had won six England caps but had not featured since a friendly win over Wales in October. His only competitive appearances under Tuchel came in World Cup qualifiers against Andorra. Six goals in his past six club matches changed nothing.
Meanwhile, players who had seized their moments were in. Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa had been trusted throughout Tuchel's tenure. Eberechi Eze of Arsenal, despite modest Premier League statistics—seven goals and two assists in the title-winning campaign—had scored three goals in six World Cup qualifiers for Tuchel. Eze had missed the March friendlies through injury, which only proved to Tuchel how crucial he was. His absence had exposed the gap between him and the alternatives. Eze offered pace and unpredictability, something different from Jude Bellingham and Rogers.
Class may be permanent, the saying goes, but form is temporary. For Foden and Palmer, that temporary dip has cost them a place at the World Cup. Two years ago it would have been unthinkable. Now they have to live with the reality that they are not deemed good enough—on form, at least—for the squad. The future they were supposed to own has belonged to someone else.
Citações Notáveis
Tuchel has shown that reputation means little over form. If standards drop there is a line of players waiting to take advantage.— BBC analysis
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
How does a player go from winning player of the year to being left out of a World Cup squad in just two years?
It's not really two years of decline—it's more like one brutal season where form simply evaporated. Palmer was still brilliant at the start of this season, but something shifted. Foden had a flash of brilliance in December, then nothing. When you're competing for one spot against five other hungry players, a dip like that is fatal.
Was it just bad luck, or did something structural change for these players?
For Palmer, it might have been the weight of expectation. He had to prove himself at Chelsea after leaving City, and he did that brilliantly. But this season felt like teams figured him out, or he lost the hunger. With Foden, it's harder to say. He's at City, he's got Guardiola, but he just stopped scoring.
That Uruguay match in March—was that really the turning point for Foden?
It felt like it. Tuchel gave him the perfect opportunity to remind everyone why he belonged. Instead, Foden looked lost, peripheral. When your coach takes you off after 56 minutes and brings on the other player who's also fighting for your spot, you know the message has been sent.
But Tuchel kept other players like Eze despite modest league statistics. How does that square with form being everything?
Because Eze had proven himself in the specific context that matters—World Cup qualifiers under Tuchel. He scored three in six. That's the form Tuchel cares about. Palmer and Foden had their chances in friendlies and failed. Eze wasn't even available to fail.
So this is really about Tuchel not caring about what you did before he arrived?
Exactly. He inherited a squad full of established names, but he made clear from day one that he'd pick on what he sees, not what the trophy cabinet says. It's ruthless, but it's also honest. If you're not performing for him, you're out.