Summary
Thomas Tuchel sprang surprises with first England squad, most notably by including Jordan Henderson.
Tuchel's England squad hints at bold experimentation and a new era with potential debuts.
Predicted line-up for Albania game includes Lewis-Skelly at left-back, Bellingham in midfield, and Rashford upfront.
With Thomas Tuchel unveiling his first 23-man England squad for the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Albania and Latvia later this month, now is the perfect opportunity to predict how that roster will be whittled down into a starting XI. While Tuchel has largely preserved the blueprint laid out by Gareth Southgate, his first squad selection since taking the reins on January 1 has injected a dose of unpredictability, with a few eye-catching inclusions setting tongues wagging.
The biggest curveball thrown by the German tactician was his decision to hand a lifeline to former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, despite the Ajax midfielder having barely had a full runout in nearly six weeks. This controversial gamble came at the expense of Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher, and Adam Wharton, who were all left out, while Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly received their first call-ups.
Chelsea fans will have a sense of what to expect from their former Champions League-winning boss - his tactical nuances, his relentless demands, and, importantly, his knack for big-game strategy - but for the rest of England, the coming weeks will be a fascinating glimpse into what Tuchel’s Three Lions will look like.
After eight years of Southgate’s steady hand, a new era is dawning, and with it comes the opportunity for bold experimentation. With that in mind, we’ve taken our best shot at predicting the lineup Tuchel will trust to usher in this new chapter when England step onto the pitch on March 21 on his debut.
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Jordan Pickford; Reece James, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Myles Lewis-Skelly
Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi are set to be the only Euro 2024 stalwarts to withstand the sands of time and secure a starting spot in Tuchel's defence. Meanwhile, Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly are poised to earn their first England caps, capitalising on both their impressive form and the misfortune of their injured competitors.
The Arsenal prodigy is among the finest young footballers on the planet right now, and he’ll be entrusted with patching up a long-standing wound in England’s squad - the gaping hole at left-back. With Luke Shaw increasingly fragile and Lewis Hall also sidelined, the baton now falls to Lewis-Skelly to rewrite the script and correct one of the lingering flaws of the Southgate era.
Guehi's speed and distribution qualities will match perfectly with the height, strength, and positional awareness of Burn. The Newcastle defender will be expected to step up as a leader against Albania, alongside Pickford and Reece James - the Chelsea skipper who, after a nightmare stretch of injuries that threatened to derail his career, appears to be back with a vengeance after scoring a stunning goal from midfield against Copenhagen recently.
Midfield
Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Declan Rice
For the most part, the midfield picks for itself. While it remains to be seen how Tuchel manages to deal with so many attacking players vying for the same position - on paper, there may not be another midfield trio in international football better suited to put an end to England's 60-year major trophy drought than Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Phil Foden.
Indeed, other good options in this area include Cole Palmer or Eberechi Eze, while Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson offer more defensively sound options should the midfield spaces be in need of tightening. However, with no suitable like-for-like replacement for Rice should the Arsenal star get injured, the concern will be, again, whether England have enough good defensive midfielders.
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The midfield unit for the Three Lions still looks like a kitchen with too many cooks in it. The way Southgate found a way around this during the delayed Euro 2020 was the use of system player Kalvin Phillips. Of course, it's too soon for Tuchel to have found his version of an understated teacher's pet, so it will be interesting to see if that ever does come to fruition to balance out the lineup with big names and ones that do the dirty work.
Attack
Jarrod Bowen, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
Harry Kane, England’s all-time leading goalscorer with 69 goals in just over 100 appearances, remains one of the deadliest finishers in world football as he spearheads Bayern Munich’s attack. His status as one of the Three Lions’ untouchables is unlikely to change anytime soon, meaning Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke will largely be left waiting in the wings.
During the last international break under interim boss Lee Carsley, Jarrod Bowen stole the show, capping off England’s 5-0 rout of the Republic of Ireland with a well-taken fourth goal. With Bukayo Saka still nursing a hamstring injury, Bowen is expected to hold onto his spot on the right wing. Meanwhile, a headline-grabbing return for Marcus Rashford looks to be firmly on the cards.
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Since sealing a loan move to Aston Villa in January, Rashford has rediscovered his spark. While England’s attacking setup isn’t b blessed with pace, his speed and directness could be a potent weapon for Tuchel against Albania, particularly in tandem with the playmaking brilliance of Kane and Phil Foden. He does, however, face stiff competition from Anthony Gordon, but Tuchel is expected to back his admiration for the Manchester United outcast and hand him a starting role on Friday night. See the predicted lineup below:
eng predicted lineup Albania
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 14/03/2025)