Two ways Thomas Tuchel could set up his first England team | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has been something of a shape shifter across his career so far.

The German coach has gone from a 5-2-3, to a 4-3-3, to a 4-4-2, to a 3-4-2-1, while also always having the ability to use his favoured 4-2-3-1.

Tuchel has picked his 26-man squad for the his first international break and England manager, where the Three Lions will take on Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers. A few decisions have been met with puzzled reactions, such as Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson being included in the squad.

But based on the squad we have seen, and what we know about Tuchel’s ability to tweak his system to get the best out of the players at his disposal, how could he look to set England up? Will we see flexible systems from game to game, or will we see an immediate pattern for how Tuchel envisages this side?

Chelsea-esque

Starting with the back three, many would suggest the inclusion of Burn points towards this from Tuchel. It’s a formation he had great success with after taking over at Chelsea, going on to win the Champions League in the 2020-21 campaign.

The average positions from Chelsea’s Champions League final win over Manchester City shows the defensive stability the back three/five gives them, while having a narrow box with the midfield two and two attacking midfielders/inside forwards.

Burn has won the second-most aerial duels in the Premier League this season at 3.74 per 90 minutes, with only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (4.78) winning more. This would give Tuchel extra physicality in his backline, much like Antonio Rudiger did for him at Chelsea, also playing as the left centre-back.

Levi Colwill is currently playing in a back four for Chelsea, but on the ball, they shape up in a back three. There, Colwill is the central centre-back, using his progressive passing quality to help dictate the tempo of build up. The 22-year-old is averaging 4.04 progressive passes per 90 this season, completing 89.6% of his passes and making 4.7 passes into the final third per 90.

Lastly, at right centre-back, you have a few options. Marc Guehi is one of them, having shown for Crystal Palace he can play anywhere across the back three. Kyle Walker and Reece James have also both played this role, being able to defend wide channels as natural fullbacks, but having the physicality to compete and defend their own box too.

Wing-backs are absolutely key in this system. They will often have to provide the width making lung-busting runs into the final third in order to supply the team with runners, especially when you consider the centre-forward and inside forward personnel Tuchel would likely opt to use. With this in mind, Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento could be brilliant wing back options, both Newcastle United stars being extremely athletic, willing runners with plenty of energy to burn.

The midfield two feels quite nailed on to be Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. This duo will give Bellingham the keys to go box to box while Rice provides slightly more of a defensive base — though still having the ability and capacity to carry the ball in deep areas.

Lastly, the front line would be led by England captain, Harry Kane, but the two inside forwards is where it gets interesting. With Bukayo Saka not involved in this international camp, it’s one less problem for Tuchel to solve from the get go, as well as Cole Palmer now pulling out due to injury, which leaves these positions up for experimenting.

Phil Foden is likely to take one of these roles, while the second could be any of Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarrod Bowen or even Marcus Rashford. While Bowen and Rashford are more commonly wingers who hold the width, both have played through the middle in their career. This inside forward role would give them a bit more freedom, while adding willing runners around the likes of Kane and Foden.

Bayern 2.0

Of course, the other option would be for Tuchel to go with a back four, which could see James, Guehi, Colwill and Livramento line up, all having come through Chelsea’s academy.

A similar midfield pivot of Rice and Bellingham would be expected, with this 4-2-3-1 likely seeing Foden as the No.10. The main difference in this formation would be the usage of natural wingers, something Tuchel did more at Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

This could allow for Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen to shine in the wider roles. Another possibility would be Morgan Rogers starting out wide and drifting inside as a secondary No.10, much like Jamal Musiala did for Bayern, with Kimmich or Davies overlapping from fullback.

Rogers is one of the best carriers in the England squad, attempting 4.18 take-ons per 90 in the Premier League this season, completing 2.0. Tuchel’s usage of Rogers will be one to watch out for, as he gives the German coach plenty of tactical versatility. The Aston Villa man has the athleticism and power to play wide and run in beyond, but also the technical capacity to drop, drift inside and link play.

One last man to keep an eye on would be Curtis Jones, especially if Tuchel does opt to go into a back four at any point during this international break. Whether he plays as a box-to-box midfielder or as an attacking midfielder, Jones brings plenty of energy and intensity. Tuchel referenced this in his press conference, stating “we should be brave enough to play like an England squad”, wanting to implement a direct and attacking style of play to reflect the values of the Premier League.

So there’s a chance Tuchel could look to prioritise athleticism and power in his first few team selections, aiming to win over the fans with high octane attacking football in the qualifiers. And then finally implementing his back three ahead of the World Cup in 2026, to ensure his side are ready for all encounters.