England manager Thomas Tuchel was spotted at Selhurst Park on Sunday watching Crystal Palace take on Everton. What drew him to that match instead of the more high-profile clashes elsewhere?
After all, the London Stadium hosted a thrilling encounter between relegation-threatened West Ham United and title-contenders Arsenal, while numerous England internationals and potential World Cup candidates were in action across the country. However, Tuchel appears already confident in his core squad for the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. His recent 35-man selection made his preferences—and omissions—clear.
But a few intriguing direct duels at Selhurst Park made his attendance worthwhile. Among them was the midfield battle between Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace and James Garner of Everton.
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is expected to be Tuchel’s first-choice defensive midfielder this summer. The question is who will serve as his backup. Wharton, with four caps so far (three under Tuchel in England’s last four matches), has made a late push into the manager’s plans. Palace’s run to the Conference League final in Leipzig boosted his profile, but his performances in England camps have been decisive. The odds now favor him.
Facing him on Sunday was Everton’s James Garner, who also entered Tuchel’s reckoning late in the season, earning his two caps in March. While Wharton played a deep holding role, Garner operated slightly further forward, with Tim Iroegbunam anchoring Everton’s midfield. Garner’s versatility—including his ability to play full-back—appeals to Tuchel, but both may be competing for a similar squad role.
What did Tuchel see? Their stats from the 2-2 draw are close. Wharton completed 52 passes (19 into the final third), compared to Garner’s 37 (17 into the final third), both with 82% accuracy. Wharton made 20 forward passes to Garner’s 14, largely due to his deeper position. He sent eight passes into Everton’s penalty area, creating two chances; Garner played nine into Palace’s box, creating three. Wharton had two shots to Garner’s one. In carrying the ball forward, Wharton covered 73.8 meters to Garner’s 60, again partly because of positioning.
Defensively, Wharton was busier: six tackles and eight possession wins, versus Garner’s two tackles and one interception. However, Garner won 62.5% of his duels, compared to Wharton’s 33%. Season data offers more insight: Wharton is a better progressive passer and possession controller, but he lacks scoring threat (no goals for Palace) and dribbling compared to Garner, who combines pass creation with ball-carrying (higher retention rate). Both are strong in aggressive defending. Whoever gets the nod will slot behind Anderson, who excels in aerial duels and ball recovery and offers a similar goal threat to Garner and progressive passing to Wharton.
The goalkeeping situation is clearer. Tuchel watched Everton’s Jordan Pickford face his England deputy, Dean Henderson. Pickford will start as No. 1 in the United States, and he showed why on Sunday. He faced eight shots on target, making six saves; his expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded was 3.4, meaning he prevented 1.4 goals. Henderson faced seven shots on target, saving five; his xGOT was 2.0, meaning he conceded as many as expected.
Season-long stats tell a similar story. Pickford has faced slightly more total shots than Henderson, but their save percentages are close (69.3% vs. 71.5%). Pickford has prevented 5.3 non-penalty goals—only Manchester United’s Sene Lammens and Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen have more—while Henderson is not far behind with 4.8. Pickford has made three Opta-defined errors leading to goals (against Arsenal in March, Newcastle in November, and Tottenham in October), while Henderson has two errors leading to shots but none leading to goals.
Pickford’s key advantage is his distribution. He goes long 64% of the time with 40% accuracy (only Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma has a higher success rate), while Henderson goes long 61% with 26% accuracy. Overall, Pickford’s passing completion is 62% to Henderson’s 56%. Combined with his experience, Pickford is firmly in pole position to start this summer—and deservedly so. Still, Henderson has shown he can provide reliable backup if needed.
