In brief
Jordan Henderson’s inclusion in the inaugural England squad was one of Thomas Tuchel’s surprises.
With possible debuts, Tuchel’s England team suggests daring innovation and a new era.
Bellingham in midfield, Rashford up front, and Lewis-Skelly at left back are the starting lineups for the Albania match.
This month’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Albania and Latvia will see Thomas Tuchel announce his first 23-man England squad. It’s the ideal time to forecast how that roster will be reduced to a starting XI. Although Tuchel has mostly stuck to the plan that Gareth Southgate set out, his first squad pick since taking over on January 1 has added some surprise, with some intriguing additions making people wonder.
The German tactician’s decision to give former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson a lifeline, even though the Ajax midfielder had hardly played a full game in almost six weeks, was his biggest surprise. Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly were given their first call-ups, but Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher, and Adam Wharton were left out as a result of this contentious risk.
Chelsea supporters will know what to anticipate from their former Champions League-winning manager—his tactical subtleties, his unyielding demands, and, most importantly, his talent for big-game strategy—but the rest of England will be treated to an intriguing preview of what Tuchel’s Three Lions will look like in the upcoming weeks.
A new age is beginning after eight years of Southgate’s steady hand, and it brings with it the chance for audacious experimentation. In light of this, we’ve done our best to forecast the starting lineup Tuchel will use to start this new era when England plays their first game on March 21.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Jordan Pickford; Reece James, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Myles Lewis-Skelly
Burn’s height, strength, and positional knowledge will be ideally complemented by Guehi’s speed and distribution. Along with Pickford and Reece James, the Chelsea captain who recently scored an incredible goal from midfield against Copenhagen and seems to be back with a vengeance after a terrible run of injuries that threatened to end his career, the Newcastle defender will be expected to take the lead against Albania.
The midfield
Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden
The midfield largely makes its own decisions. On paper, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Phil Foden might be the best midfield trio in international football to end England’s 60-year major trophy drought, but it is unclear how Tuchel will handle so many attacking players fighting for the same spot.
Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson provide more defensively sound options in case the midfield areas need to be tightened, while Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze are also excellent choices in this area. But if the Arsenal star is hurt, there won’t be a viable alternative for Rice, therefore the question of whether England has enough talented defensive midfielders will once more need to be addressed.
The Three Lions’ midfield still has the appearance of a kitchen with too many cooks. Southgate used system player Kalvin Phillips to get around this during the postponed Euro 2020. To balance the roster with great names and those who do the grunt work, it will be interesting to watch if Tuchel’s vision of a subtle teacher’s pet ever materialises. Of course, it’s too early.
Attack
Jarrod Bowen, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
Harry Kane, who leads Bayern Munich’s attack and is England’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in just over 100 games, is still one of the game’s most lethal finishers. Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke will mostly be left waiting in the wings because it is unlikely that his status as one of the Three Lions’ untouchables will change very soon.
Jarrod Bowen stole the show during the most recent international break under interim manager Lee Carsley, scoring a well-taken fourth goal to seal England’s 5-0 thumping of the Republic of Ireland. Given that Bukayo Saka is currently recovering from a hamstring injury, Bowen is anticipated to remain on the right wing. In the meantime, it appears that Marcus Rashford will make a spectacular comeback.
One of the most deadly finishers in the game is Harry Kane, the captain of Bayern Munich’s attack and England’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in just over 100 appearances. Since it is unlikely that his status as one of the Three Lions’ untouchables will change anytime soon, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke will mostly be kept waiting in the wings.
Under interim manager Lee Carsley, Jarrod Bowen was the star of the most recent international break, scoring a well-taken fourth goal to complete England’s 5-0 thumping of the Republic of Ireland. Bowen is expected to stay on the right wing while Bukayo Saka is presently recuperating from a hamstring injury. Marcus Rashford is expected to make a stunning return in the interim.
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