Tuchel recalls Alexander‑Arnold and Palmer in first squad since World Cup, tells England to 'embrace the chaos'

England manager Thomas Tuchel, having returned from the United States in July, named his first squad since the World Cup on Friday and recalled Trent Alexander‑Arnold and Cole Palmer ahead of four Nations League matches, beginning with a home game against Spain at Wembley on 26 September.

Tuchel left the United States in July seeking greater control after England finished third in the World Cup in the US, the nation's best finish at the tournament since 1966. Memories of the semi-final defeat to Argentina remain and, in the immediate aftermath, Tuchel blamed his side's inability to find control after taking the lead through Anthony Gordon for the late collapse. Two months on, the manager's language has shifted as he prepares the squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

"Football is about adapting to situations and football without any control is sometimes hard to digest for a coach, if you look at the 6-4 against France [in the World Cup bronze-medal match]," said Tuchel. "But people talk about it like it's one of their nicest experiences ever, to watch a football match, so maybe I have to compromise in my wish for control, for a little bit more chaos, embrace the chaos, and maybe it brings out the best."

Tuchel's selections include several players noted for their technical ability: Trent Alexander‑Arnold and Cole Palmer return to the squad, while Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Newcastle left‑back Lewis Hall were also named. The squad list contains a number of players described as extremely adept in possession of the ball.

An element of unpredictability was added with Rio Ngumoha receiving his first senior call‑up; the Liverpool winger, 18, has been credited with an exciting start to the season, catching the eye for his invention and trickery down both flanks for Andoni Iraola's side. Tuchel also revealed that Fulham attacker Josh King is close to earning his first senior call‑up, a development the manager said points to a desire to reinvigorate England's forward line ahead of the Nations League campaign and beyond.

Asked whether his team can replicate the fast‑paced approach of a Premier League side while retaining control, Tuchel replied: "That would be the wish, that we become for 10 minutes a little bit more like Spain, here and there. "The more I reflect on it, it's maybe more buying into our strengths and play more minutes like we played the second half against Croatia, and more minutes like we played the first half against France, and buying into these strengths, because I think we get a lot of value out of it, we get a lot of connection to the fans, this is what the Premier League reflects. "We are maybe not the most economical team to play football but this is maybe also a characteristic of the Premier League. The Premier League is not a very economical league, you have to play. "You need to max out every single match otherwise you cannot compete for the title so this is something more beautiful. But this is where we are, where I am in my mindset and I think where the players are, so it's still a bit ambiguous."

Tuchel rejected suggestions that recalling Palmer and Alexander‑Arnold was an admission he had selected the wrong World Cup squad, saying: "Before we did the nomination in the last month, I thought we had more of a continuation of the World Cup squad but then a lot of members of our World Cup squad - Reece [James], Dan [Burn], Dean [Henderson, [John] Stones, [Jordan] Henderson, Djed Spence - can't be with us due to injuries, so it is not like a full continuation. "These players were crucial for us in building the brotherhood, in building the spirit and taking care of the mentality that took us the long way in the tournament. We will not negotiate on that, we will not give in on that. "So other players will step up, this is basically how I see this camp. "My mindset at the moment is not to change too much within the formations."

England will host World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday, 26 September, then travel to the Czech Republic on Tuesday, 29 September and to Croatia on Saturday, 3 October, before the Czech Republic visit on Tuesday, 6 October.