Finally, five months after accepting the job, Thomas Tuchel will lead England out at Wembley for the first time on Friday night as the 2026 World Cup journey begins.
It will be a big moment for Tuchel, who spoke of his “pride” at taking charge of his adopted nation at his October unveiling, and more generally speaking, for English football whose hopes and dreams now rest in the German’s hands.
Home matches against Albania (ranked 65th in Fifa’s world rankings) and Latvia (140th) should provide a gentle enough start in international football for Tuchel.
Nevertheless, with the Three Lions now fully in their post-Gazball era more eyeballs than usual will be fixed on those matches searching for clues as to how the new boss intends to set this team up.
Tuchel has given little away so far regarding his intentions, other than stating that he wants his side to reflect the Premier League: physical, fast, direct.
The former Chelsea manager resisted a radical overhaul with his first squad selection, instead lightly freshening things up by calling up a few newcomers and bringing a couple of forgotten faces back into the fold.
Most of England’s players have known only Gareth Southgate (Lee Carsley’s brief stint aside) and only two of the current squad have worked with Tuchel at club level. It may take time for England to adapt to Tuchel and he to them.
As preparations start in earnest for next summer’s showpiece in USA, Canada and Mexico, here are five tactical puzzles for Tuchel to solve:
Get Kane firing
A major point of intrigue is how Tuchel aims to harness Harry Kane’s abilities after his disappointing showing at the Euros.
Although Tuchel oversaw a rare trophyless season with Bayern Munich, with Kane leading the line, the striker enjoyed a superb individual campaign with 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga games earning him a first European Golden Shoe.
Notably, Kane could not replicate his Bayern form with England during last summer’s Euros. He looked unusually lethargic and was unusually ineffective.
“I saw him here for England dropping deeper and deeper in his game and this is maybe not exactly what we want with Harry,” Tuchel said last week, adding that no play is exempt from his demands to press high with intensity.
At Bayern, Tuchel surrounded Kane with pace, guile and movement. They created a truckload of chances for their No 9, so much so that he had 146 shots in 32 league games, 25 more than any other player.
For the first time since Kane’s explosive breakthrough a decade ago, there is a genuine debate over his starting place and international future. Goals against Albania and Latvia are unlikely to quell the dissenters and with Kane turning 32 in July (and 33 shortly after the World Cup), it’s a talking point that could rumble on and on.
The Bellingham x Foden dilemma
Jude Bellingham (21) and Phil Foden (24) are England’s present and future but they have often struggled for synergy, too often working as individuals and not in cohesive collaboration.
Both would like to play as number 10s, which could work in a Tuchel team if he sets England up as he often did Chelsea. With Reece James and Ben Chilwell providing width from wing-back, Tuchel often played split playmakers: Mason Mount plus one of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech or Christian Pulisic.
At Bayern, Tuchel doggedly used a 4-2-3-1 formation with wingers playing off their wrong sides. Leroy Sane was effective as an inverted wide player on the right, supplying five of Kane’s 36 goals which made them the joint-most effective partnership in the league.
Perhaps that could be a role for Foden, albeit with strict instructions to not drift infield too much to prevent the bunching with Bellingham that occurred in Germany.
The No 10 role is Bellingham’s to lose. He and Kane have dovetailed nicely in that area recently. Stylistically, Bellingham isn’t too dissimilar to Thomas Muller who played there under Tuchel: neither are traditional creators but have an astute appreciation of space, make intelligent runs and can score goals.
Keeping Bellingham close to Kane could be profitable for them both.
Find a new full-back partnership
Were it not for Jordan Henderson’s shock inclusion in the squad, more might have been made of Kyle Walker’s selection.
Walker, who turns 35 in May, moved to Milan and the more serene setting of Serie A, after his previous superpower – the ability to dominate wingers – showed signs of degeneration during the first half of the campaign with Man City.
Tuchel’s other right-back options are James, who has only played 25 games for Chelsea since the start of last season, Tino Livramento, who has just one cap, and Jarrell Quansah, who is a centre-back by trade.
Meanwhile, the four possible left-backs have five caps between them: Levi Colwill (four), Livramento (one), Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly (both none). Of that quartet, only Lewis-Skelly plays in that position consistently for his club.
Attacking penetration from full-back is integral to Tuchel’s gameplan. At Chelsea, Tuchel transformed James and Ben Chilwell into output machines as wing-backs, while Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies directly contributed to seven Bundesliga goals each last season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (six league assists) and Lewis Hall (four league assists) are both big misses, particularly considering that Tuchel’s potential full-backs this break only have one league assist between them.
Get help for Rice
Southgate was mocked for suggesting that England did not have another Kalvin Phillips last summer, given the Ipswich Town loanee’s dramatic decline since starting the Euro 2020 final.
He had a point, though. Declan Rice looked overworked and overrun in midfield in Germany, especially in the final against Spain when, at times, he attempted to man-mark three opponents at once.
If Tuchel plays a two-man midfield, which he has often done at club level, there aren’t too many obvious candidates to slot in next to Rice.
James has played in midfield for Chelsea recently but has been largely ineffective, while Henderson has only recently regained his starting place at Ajax after injury.
Curtis Jones and Morgan Gibbs-White could play in a deeper role than they do for their clubs, but neither are natural sitters. Similarly to at full-back, Tuchel currently lacks an obvious specialist to play the way he wants to play.
The goalkeeper situation
By Sam Cunningham, The i Paper’s Chief Football Writer
All of Tuchel’s club line-ups have required goalkeepers that are good with their feet, confident passers, composed on the ball. Pickford, 31, has many strengths as a goalkeeper, but if you had to name a weaker side it would be that.
Tuchel is keeping his options open with his first look at the squad.
Four keepers were called up, including Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson, Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale and the intriguing selection of James Trafford, a young goalkeeper whose clean sheets are practically carrying Burnley to Championship promotion.
Of all the goalkeepers, Trafford, 22, is the least experienced, but, schooled at Manchester City’s academy where he worked with Pep Guardiola, is by far the best with his feet and most suited to Tuchel’s system.
Southgate always stuck by Pickford, even though his decision to stay at Everton has thrust him into Premier League relegation battles, rather than games in football’s marquee tournaments and finals.
“The last few years have been difficult,” he admitted.
But things are looking up since David Moyes returned to Everton in January and guided them well clear of relegation.
Will Tuchel be as forgiving, or as loyal, as Southgate if things take a turn for the worse?
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