Thomas Tuchel has tried to explain some of the more eye-catching decisions revealed in his England World Cup squad selection, after some fans were left perplexed.Big names like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were left out in favour of Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn and Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney, while in-form players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Lewis Hall, Adam Wharton and Harry Maguire could feel unlucky not to make the cut.Tuchel said: "I think from day one we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players."Teams win championships, it is as simple as that. What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team.‌"Mostly, it's about energy, connection and the collectivity. Everything I know about international football is about cohesion and about chemistry."We've dived into some of the main talking points, what Tuchel had to say about them and, using Machine Football, analysed the data that could have been at play in his decision-making.Maguire out, Burn inManchester United's Harry Maguire posted on social media about his anguish after being informed of his omission from Tuchel's 26-man squad in favour of Newcastle's Dan Burn.‌The England manager revealed that the defender's post had "surprised" him, but empathised with Maguire's hurt at being excluded after a much-improved season at club level.Tuchel said: "I was a bit surprised because we had a private conversation and he had the chance to express his feelings which he did and this is fair enough because I can see all the reasons why he could be in the squad."It was a decision for these 26 players, even if it feels against individuals."‌Though Maguire has the beating of Burn in most measurable attributes this season, Burn's versatility and tactical profile may be the key reasons he has taken the seat on the plane.Burn can cover at left back as well as his preferred position at left centre-back, and his Newcastle role has often been focused on defending deep, using his sizable frame to win first contact and protect the box while playing in a compact defensive structure.The idea may well be to use Burn as something of a closer in tight games, while also making use of his comparable aerial threat to Maguire.READ MORE: Your World Cup glossary of football tactics, data and stats buzzwordsShock Toney inclusionThe biggest headline from Tuchel's selection may well be the inclusion of Ivan Toney, a player who has featured for just seven minutes of the German's reign as England manager.‌There was no doubting Toney's quality at Brentford, but the 30-year-old has spent the last two seasons featuring for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, leading many to question his readiness for a major international tournament.Chief football writer John Cross revealed Tuchel had been unimpressed with Toney in training before further scouting missions and a shock U-turn.READ MORE: Inside Ivan Toney's England comeback as ex-Brentford man completes stunning career revivalTuchel, who admitted being "surprised" himself by the decision, said: "We could see that he still collects the numbers. I think he has very special skills that could help us [in] the situations, scenarios when we are chasing a result."I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane, he can be present in the box when we are pushing for a goal. He can take attention off other strikers, he has a natural presence within the box, he is a natural finisher, he can help us with set pieces, he is very strong in there.‌"Very good in using his body and not to forget, he is a world class penalty taker. He ticks some boxes that we wanted to be ticked."Many expected Dominic Calvert-Lewin to get the nod given his prolific record in the Premier League this season, but the Leeds United striker's best attribute is his aerial ability - something main man Harry Kane also possesses in spades, sitting in the top 1% of aerial finishers in the Machine Football database.Toney is a world-class finisher, too, but his 32 league goals are not the primary reason for his inclusion. Instead, as Tuchel highlights, it is his proficiency from set pieces - especially penalties, of which he has scored 10 this season alone.‌Toney maintains a stunning penalty conversion rate of 94% in his career (47 of 50), and looking at the graphic above, his greater level of involvement linking up with teammates sees him sneak ahead of Calvert-Lewin when it comes to Tuchel's possession-heavy style.No Foden or PalmerThis is a simple question of form and recent England performances, but it hasn't stopped the narrative from spiralling into wider concerns about a shortage of world-class creative talent in the squad.Tuchel, though, was not concerned. "I don't fear [leaving world-class players at home] because I am very confident in the group that we chose of which we arrive with."Very difficult decisions, painful conversations. Difficult for the players, difficult to explain to the players what we're trying to achieve as a team, and we try to nominate a balanced squad.‌"If everyone is selected, it was a given that from these 55 players, we have to leave some extraordinary talents, some extraordinary personalities at home."Phil Foden has only made 22 Premier League starts this season, often in a deeper position to mitigate a regression in his creativity, which ranks in the 32nd percentile among other No. 10s globally according to the Machine Football database.With just 2.68 touches in the box and 1.67 shots per 90 this season, Foden is on the periphery at Manchester City and hasn't made up for it with his off-the-ball work, either, having won just 0.6 defensive duels per 90.‌Palmer, meanwhile, has suffered a huge drop-off this season. He has still managed 3.75 touches in the box and 3.39 shots per 90, but has scored five of his nine goals from the penalty spot and is in the 50th percentile for passing accuracy and the bottom 25% for recoveries per 90 amongst fellow No. 10s.With Tuchel picking for specific scenarios and the less tangible "connections between the players", it is clear that Foden and Palmer simply haven't been there in the moments that matter enough to be included.READ MORE: Choose your England World Cup starting XI to face CroatiaDjed Spence: 'The best 1v1 defender'Versatile Djed Spence of relegation-battling Tottenham was another shock call from Tuchel, leaving out Newcastle's impressive left-back Lewis Hall in the process - never mind all the noise around Trent Alexander-Arnold.Tuchel explained: "First of all, [Spence] was excellent in every single match he played for us. He suffers from the third change of coach at his club.‌"Since then, he doesn't get a lot of minutes. Of course, he suffers from the situation. He is part of the situation as well at Tottenham."He brings somethings to the group that we don't have in his profile. He loves defending. He is the fastest player in our squad and he loves to defend in one on ones."That is just the characteristic that I would say makes him stand out. He's a full-back first and a bit of a special full-back for us as well. On top of that, he can play both sides."Though Hall might well be the better all-round left-back, the value of Spence's versatility is immeasurable when considering the potential for injuries after a long domestic season - including fitness concerns over Reece James and Tino Livramento - and the advantage of being able to shift formations within games.‌Ranking in the 99th percentile among global full-backs for dribbling and comfortably the strongest England full-back in terms of accelerations per 90 (0.7), Spence's physical edge could also be vital against speedy wingers in the knockout stages.No England full-back comes close to Spence's offensive duel numbers either, standing at 8.84 per 90.READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel announces four surprise inclusions for England's World Cup plansBowen misses out to MaduekeThe wait for Jarrod Bowen's first World Cup appearance goes on, and the West Ham captain may now have missed his best chance after Arsenal's Noni Madueke was selected ahead of him.‌The England manager expressed sympathy and admiration for Bowen's reaction to missing out, but spoke glowingly of Madueke's tendency to influence games from the bench.Tuchel said: "[Madueke] didn't play so regularly but being used to coming on and off can be a big advantage. I believe in his ability to change matches and to disrupt defensive organisations with his one on ones."Madueke's dribbling is indeed a superpower for the 24-year-old, ranking in the top 0.1% of wingers globally in this respect according to the Machine Football database and completing 6.98 dribbles per 90 compared to Bowen's 5.54.‌The chemistry he already shares with fellow players to make the cut could have been decisive too, with Madueke familiar with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze after spending the season at Arsenal.The same can be said of most of these tough calls. Rather than a simple matter of "collecting the most talented players", Tuchel has chosen to pick players for specific roles - and prioritised the intangible element of "building a brotherhood".This is surely the reason for Jordan Henderson's inclusion.The Brentford midfielder, who formerly captained his country, is unlikely to get much in the way of game time but likely forms part of the leadership group formed during the March international break that Tuchel went to lengths to stress the importance of, but was reluctant to reveal the identities involved.‌The England boss said: "It's a group of five or six players and there is always like a fluidity that is possible in the group, but they took ownership. They took care and they were massively influential."I was very, very happy with the way they acted and interacted and how they stepped up, so there is no need to change that."For all that has been said about these selections, all will be forgotten if England can pull off a first World Cup win in 60 years.READ MORE: POLL: Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire & Phil Foden AXED from England's World Cup squad - have your sayGet the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!