Our man Harry Brent is riled up in his latest column

After leaving Jude Bellingham out of his England squad, Thomas Tuchel deserves what Bayer Leverkusen do for fleecing £116million from Liverpool for Florian Wirtz: a pat on the back and a congratulatory basket of bratwurst.

For years, we've heard fans, pundits and journalists demanding the same thing: pick players on form, not on reputation. We crave a manager of backbone, of principle, of footballing meritocracy – but when we actually get one, we squirm like Prince Andrew on Newsnight.

The reaction to Saint Jude being dropped has been as predictable and self-devouring as Ange Postecoglou's tactics. Online and in the media, there's been panic and outrage – the sort Manchester United boardroom meetings are made of.

England, for years, have been the Ocean's trilogy of international football – overstuffed with A-listers, all jostling for screen time, all being a bit rubbish. Enough of that.

We need a team-first, superstar individuals-second approach – one that'll keep our best players on their toes like Cristiano Ronaldo posing for a team photo. Seriously, Google it. He stands on...