Who would you pick in the England Squad?
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2026
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Was Thomas Tuchel's experiment of playing Phil Foden as a 'false nine' a waste of time? Tony Cascarino thinks it was. Either way the attempt seems to have signaled the end to Foden's World Cup hopes.
Did he learn anything else from the two disappointing friendlies?
Gregor robertson, Martin Samuel and Tony Cascarino pick their own World Cup squads, and have a guess at who Tuchel will pick.
A quick look at the plight of Italian football, the new reign of Roberto De Zerbi; and is the Chelsea project about to stall?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the game football podcast from the times. |
| 0:07.3 | England lost to Japan in their final friendly before Thomas Tuchel names his squad for the World Cup this summer. |
| 0:12.8 | But hey, it could be much, much worse as four-time winners Italy proved crashing out in the playoffs for the third tournament in a row. |
| 0:20.0 | We'll be discussing what has gone |
| 0:21.3 | wrong in Italian football, debating the winners and losers of a disappointing England camp |
| 0:25.9 | and picking who we think should be on the plane to America in just over two months' time. |
| 0:30.7 | Plus, with seven games to save Tottenham's season, we'll be discussing if Roberto de Zerbe is the |
| 0:35.5 | right man to keep spurs in the Premier League. |
| 0:40.2 | I'm Gregor Robertson and joining me in the studio today. |
| 0:43.6 | We have the chief correspondent for the Times and Sunday Times Martin Samuel and the former Ireland, Chelsea and Marseille striker and Times columnist Tony Cascarino. |
| 0:49.3 | Good to have you guys. |
| 0:51.0 | I am, you. |
| 0:52.0 | England nil, Japan won. |
| 0:53.9 | Yes. Another classic. Another cracker. England nil Japan won. Yes. |
| 0:55.1 | Another classic. |
| 0:56.1 | Another cracker. |
| 0:58.9 | Martin's column from the game carried the headline. |
| 1:02.4 | Disturbing defeat could end some England careers but reinvigorate others. |
| 1:06.0 | I think that's possibly a signal towards the fact that there's no Harry Kane, no Declan Rice, no Jude Bellingham. |
| 1:14.2 | It was a good night for the guys who were either on the bench or watching from their sofa at home. |
| 1:17.7 | I mean, the best players on the field are the ones who weren't there. |
| 1:21.6 | Certainly it's best for them. |
... |
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