When you're blessed with the kind of depth England has at its disposal, hard choices are inevitable. The talent pool is such that other countries can only dream of the debates going on after Thomas Tuchel named his FIFA World Cup team on Friday and left a number of big names off of his 26-man squad.
The German took some big swings ahead of his first major tournament as manager and will either be vindicated or vilified in only a few short weeks.
Let's take a look at a starting XI of players who won't be flying to North America next month.
Goalkeeper
Nick Pope (Newcastle)
Jordan Pickford is Tuchel's guy just as he was Gareth Southgate's. The Everton keeper is head and shoulders England's No. 1 and will play every minute of their tournament, barring a catastrophe. Still, every roster needs three goalkeepers and Tuchel brought along Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson and James Trafford of Manchester City with him.
What that means is there was no room on the plane for Nick Pope. The Toon No. 1 was on the past two World Cup squads and is unlikely to feature in another at 34 years of age. Even if he wasn't going to play a minute, the decision is still a tough one for Pope.
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid)
The 27-year-old Alexander-Arnold's first season at the Bernabeu has not gone according to plan. Injuries have limited his participation to only 21 league matches, but he was fit in time for the March friendly window. When he wasn't selected for the Uruguay and Japan matches, it became clear that Alexander-Arnold wasn't at the top of Tuchel's mind.
While Alexander-Arnold's defensive failings are well-known, there are few who can offer his versatility in attack as witnessed by the way Southgate would even utilize him in the midfield. But like many at Real this season, Alexander-Arnold has trouble producing with just four assists in La Liga play. His omission is a sobering one, but far from indefensible.
Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
With names leaking ahead of Friday's roster announcement, of those both on and off the roster, hearing that Harry Maguire did not make the team came as a surprise to nobody more than the Manchester United centre-back himself. Simply put, the 33-year-old Maguire was crushed. The thought of not being on the squad had not crossed his mind.
"I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I've had," Maguire wrote on social media. "I've been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I've loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players all the best this summer."
A steadying presence on a United backline ravaged by injury, Maguire had another fine season for his club. Cruelly, this will now be a second straight major tournament that he misses after an injury sidelined him from Euro 2024. Maguire will be 37 by the time the next World Cup comes around, making his participation in another looking highly unlikely.
Fikayo Tomori (Milan)
Capped only six times, Tomori's decision to represent England might be one that he comes back to every once in a while. Born in Calgary, Tomori captained Canada at the U20 level before switching allegiances. Had he remained with Canada, Tomori would undoubtedly be about to play in his second straight World Cup and likely be a first-choice option for Jesse Marsch. What could have been...
Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
The biggest knock on Luke Shaw has always been his health. The 30-year-old left-back has routinely missed time over the course of his 15-year pro career with a variety of injuries. Shaw made only seven league appearances last season for United.
So what makes Shaw's omission so glaring is that it comes as Shaw is on the verge of appearing in every Premier League game for the first time in his career. Heading into Sunday's finale at Brighton, Shaw was finally healthy and ready to prove his worth—just as the World Cup squad was being finalized without him.