England lost 3-2 to Spain on Saturday.
The visitors taking the lead inside two minutes, only for goals from Gordon and Kane to put the hosts ahead by the break.
The second half at Wembley then seeing Spain equalise and eventually win it with two further goals of their own.
Reaction to this England defeat was very predictable.
Those in the media pointing the finger at Thomas Tuchel. Many of the England fans doing the same.
How could the England boss have lost this match at home after having been ahead?
One small thing that none of them are wanting to talk about.
This England team and squad aren’t great.
They are good BUT not all that good.
I think this delusion, especially that exhibited by the media, comes from believing that as the vast majority of the team and squad are England players playing in the all powerful Premier League, the richest and best league in the world, then we must have a load of elite players to choose from.
If only that were the case.
Each season all the players in the English top tier vote for their Premier League team of the year, the best eleven players across that season.
The 2025/26 Premier League team of the season was unveiled earlier this month and these are listed below.
I have then also listed the 11 who were voted by their fellow professionals to be in the 2024/25 Premier League team of the season.
Here are the two lists:
The 2025/26 PFA Premier League team of the season:
David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães, Nico O’Reilly, William Saliba, Jurriën Timber, Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago
2024/25 Premier League team of the season:
Matz Sels, Milos Kerkez, Gabriel Magalhães, Virgil van Dijk, William Saliba, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Declan Rice, Mohamed Salah, Chris Wood, Alexander Isak
Two full teams of players, the best in the Premier League across the last two seasons.
Only two England players named.
Nico O’Reilly for 2025/26 and Declan Rice both seasons. Nobody else.
The delusion is laughable from England fans and the media.
Where are all the England superstars???
The best players in the Premier League play for other countries!
David Raya is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League and yet he can’t even get a game for Spain.
Reality is that no England keeper would make the top ten best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Harry Kane is decent but he struggles to even jog around these days and he certainly isn’t anywhere close to the level of Erling Haaland.
As for the England defence. They were an absolute shambles on Saturday against Spain and the likes of Guehi and Konsa are nowhere near world class. Indeed, Konsa has been signed by Arsenal as a squad player to cover their first choice central defenders.
Jude Bellingham is the one true England world class player but he can’t do it by himself.
Bottom line for me is that Thomas Tuchel overachieved when finishing third at the World Cup with this group of players and in reality Spain should have been 4-0 up if they hadn’t failed with some easy chances. England hung in there and got some further luck of their own, a draw would have been a triumph with this group of England players for me.
In club terms, if England were a Premier League team they would be one of those that would see getting fifth place and qualifying for the Champions League as real success. About time that the media and fans accepted the reality with these England players at the current time.