What Thomas Tuchel's Strongest England XI Could Look Like

Written By Albert Echatah

When the Three Lions play Albania in their 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Friday night, Thomas Tuchel will select his first England starting lineup.

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This week at St George’s Park, the German tactician had his first chance to work with the team five months after his appointment.

Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire, and Ollie Watkins are among the heavyweights who have been sidelined due to injury, along with Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Cole Palmer. The new Three Lions gaffer will face more challenges in the future, with home matches against Moldova and Albania perhaps serving as the most rigorous test of his abilities.

The 51-year-old’s approach to taking England to the USA next summer, however, will be revealed to us for the first time on Friday. In his career, which has seen him play for Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, most notably at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel has employed a three-at-the-back system.

Tuchel used a back three in 55 of his 63 Premier League games as Chelsea’s head coach, and his 3-4-2-1 formation served as the cornerstone for their 2021 Champions League triumph. However, it might be argued that the choice was based more on the manager’s personal beliefs than on the current workforce.

Tuchel has most recently resorted to a more conventional formation based on a back four, which he used at Bayern Munich before departing the Bundesliga giants last year, though he could still try three at the back once more. The situation at PSG and Dortmund was comparable.

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Over the past 12 months, Marc Guehi has been England’s most dependable choice at the back and solidified his position at the centre of the defence during Euro 2024 last summer. Levi Colwill, who has been a reliable member of Chelsea’s backline the entire season, may be selected, even though Dan Burn will be aiming to make an immediate impression on the club.

On Friday, Tino Livramento might be asked to perform the same task, but Tuchel also has the option to use Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal if he so desires.

One of the more unexpected developments from last week was the addition of Jordan Henderson to the team. The 34-year-old’s most recent appearance for his nation came soon after his contentious transfer to Al Ettifaq, and he hasn’t played in a year. Marcus Rashford is back in the fold after Tuchel handed him an invitation due to his improved play at Aston Villa.

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