Why Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden are not playing for England

Why Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden are not playing for England explains why England is leaving several notable players out for its World Cup match against DR Congo. The article says England faces DR Congo “this evening,” with a spot in the Round of 16 for the winner. It notes that coach Thomas Tuchel had to cut the squad to 26, so players such as Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden are watching from home. For Palmer, Tuchel’s explanation centers on what he described as a lack of individual club form and influence during the season, plus injuries that prevented him from having the impact in camp that was expected. For Maguire, the piece ties his omission to Tuchel selecting other center backs—Marc Guehi, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Jarell Quansah—while Trevoh Chalobah was called up after the injury to Tino Livramento.