Thomas Tuchel has chosen his squad ahead of England’s games coming up against Wales and Latvia, as we start to get an idea of his preferred squad composition.
Whilst plenty of fans were expecting to see the German coach implement a back three at times, it looks like Tuchel has settled on a 4-2-3-1 starting shape.
Whether this changes when the Three Lions face off against top opposition we are yet to find out, but Tuchel’s England have gotten off to a flier in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The squad Tuchel has chosen includes Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nico O’Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins.
In this article, we’ll cover
Tuchel’s England so far
Since arriving as England manager, Tuchel has taken charge of eight matches, winning seven and losing once, with all five of their World Cup Qualifiers being wins.
Tuchel’s side have kept seven clean sheets in their eight games, scoring 22 goals and conceding just three, all of those coming against Senegal in their 3-1 loss at The City Ground.
England sit top of Group K, winning all five of their games giving them 15 points, with a +13 goal difference.
Tuchel’s men could seal their fate with a win against Latvia next week, providing Serbia fail to beat Albania three days before.
As qualification looks all but secured, the chance for experimentation will be available for Tuchel as he looks to choose his final World Cup squad in 2026.
Nico O’Reilly
O’Reilly was called up from the under-21s after James pulled out with an injury concern, which could see the 20-year-old earn a spot in Tuchel’s squad.
The Manchester City youth product has become an important figure for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, making nine appearances, providing one assist and totaling 648 minutes played.
O’Reilly came through the academy as a midfielder, but has recently been deployed as a full-back, having the desired qualities to fulfill a variety of roles from this zone, inverting into midfield, crashing the box from deep and even providing overlapping/underlapping runs when necessary.
In this role, O’Reilly has averaged 2.50 progressive carries per 90, 2.05 progressive passes per 90, 3.86 tackles per 90 and 4.55 ball recoveries per 90.
Tuchel has shown his desire to deploy his full-backs in a similar way, inverting one into midfield and having both protect the halfspaces in transition, both roles O’Reilly excels in and could offer similar traits to Lewis-Skelly, who has already earned the trust of Tuchel at international level.
Elliot Anderson
Anderson has received yet another call up for the national team, after his first two caps on the last international break.
The 22-year-old has started the season in excellent form despite Nottingham Forest’s struggles, making nine appearances, providing one assist and totaling 810 minutes played.
His ability to play at all depths in midfield, operating as a number six, number eight or number ten is hugely beneficial, making it easier for the youngster to form different partnerships and fulfill different roles dependent on the game plan.
Anderson’s first experiences under Tuchel have come playing in a deeper midfield role, looking to recycle possession, progress play through the lines and break up play, all things he is doing at an extremely high level this campaign.
The 22-year-old is averaging 9.00 progressive passes per 90, keeping an 85.5% passing accuracy and making 7.86 ball recoveries per 90.
Tuchel has already stated he believes Anderson is a “very, very good football player”, referencing his mobility and physicality as key traits for his midfield role.
Marcus Rashford
Lastly, Rashford managed to make a return to international football since making his move to Barcelona, being called up for the September fixtures, scoring from the bench in England’s 5-0 win over Serbia.
Tuchel has highlighted Rashford as a player who gives him 1v1 qualities, finishing ability with both feet and the physical traits to “intimidate opponents” and make the difference in games.
Hansi Flick is utilising Rashford to get the best of these exact traits Tuchel mentioned, often playing off the left as the primary outlet, making those runs in behind and occupying minimum width to ensure he’s closer to the box in order to get shots off.
Rashford is averaging 5.58 progressive carries per 90, making 4.04 progressive passes per 90, receiving 12.5 progressive passes per 90 and taking 3.65 shots per 90.
Platforming the England star as an outlet runner with license to pull the trigger is exactly what he needs, and if Tuchel can integrate Rashford in a similar way, he could be the perfect addition alongside Kane, Saka, and Cole Palmer/Jude Bellingham in order to offer balance with runs in behind and pace in transition.