On Friday, the Thomas Tuchel England era officially begins. The Three Lions take to the field for the first time under the 51-year-old German, where they will host Albania in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Wembley before welcoming Latvia to London three days later.
Debate has been rife since the former Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich manager was announced as Gareth Southgate’s replacement last year.
There has been much talk about player selection, team formation, and whether this is the man to finally lead the men’s team to World Cup glory for the first time in 60 years.
So here are four key questions ahead of Tuchel’s first game in charge.
Friday: the start of our @FIFAWorldCup qualifying campaign! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZB7na4WQ43
— England (@England) March 19, 2025
How will a first German England manager fare?
When the FA appointed Sven-Goran Eriksson as the first foreign manager of the England men’s team in 2001, the reaction was one of widespread indignation.
In the years since, the response to the prospect of a non-English national team head coach has somewhat softened. Fabio Capello took charge in 2007 while Sarina Wiegman has enjoyed great success – and, crucially, landed a trophy – as manager of the Lionesses.
Yet there remained some criticism when Tuchel – who hails from England’s great footballing rivals, Germany – was announced as the men’s boss back in October.
It is likely some doubters may not entirely be won over until Tuchel delivers some silverware – namely, the 2026 World Cup – but with a proven record of winning trophies, the 51-year-old has a chance to make a strong first impression against Albania on Friday.
What system will the team adopt?
After leaving his job at Mainz in 2014, Tuchel reportedly took a trip to Munich. There he met with Pep Guardiola, then Bayern Munich boss, and the pair spent hours at the dinner table, moving the salt and pepper mills while in a deep tactical discussion.
Tuchel cites Guardiola as a major influence and it is not difficult to see the similarities, not least in the perfectionism, the restlessness and, perhaps most importantly, the success.
The German has won 11 major trophies, including the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, but it remains to be seen how he will set up his Three Lions team.
Early in his career, Tuchel favoured a three-at-the-back system, utilising a 3-4-2-1 formation during his time at the Blues. However, more recently, he has opted for a more traditional more traditional structure built on a back four.
“He wants the standards high, set from day one.” 👊
Jordan Pickford ahead of Friday’s @FIFAWorldCup qualifier 🧤 pic.twitter.com/d1iMX93UXW
— England (@England) March 19, 2025
Who will get the nod?
Much has been made of Tuchel’s first squad selection. There were first-time call ups for the likes of Miles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn, while the new manager’s inaugural squad also saw surprising returns for Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson.
But the question remaining is who will make his starting eleven. Will the new manager opt for experience, or instead go for young blood? Will he experiment, or will he choose what he thinks is his strongest team from the players available?
Either way, despite his reputation as a disciplinarian, Tuchel is renowned for his man-management skills and his human touch. One Christmas while at Chelsea, Tuchel reportedly imported 200 crates of Lebkuchen – honey-sweetened cakes – from a bakery in Germany so that everyone at the club would have a gift.
It’s been an incredible week for Dan Burn and we love to see it. 👊🏆
The Newcastle and England defender has recently started his coaching journey with the PFA on a bespoke @UEFA B Licence course. 👏#NUFC | @NUFC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mcUjOmlSFs
— PFA (@PFA) March 19, 2025
Will the Dan Burn fairytale continue?
Some things, they say, get better with age. It is a notion that might aptly be applied to Newcastle United’s Dan Burn.
If the 32-year-old earns his first cap in the coming fixtures, he will become the oldest England men’s debutant since Kevin Davies made his international bow – and only appearance – against Montenegro at the age of 33 in October 2010.
Should Burn feature, he will rank 21st among the Three Lions’ oldest male debutants, sandwiched between Portsmouth’s Jack Smith (32y 354d) and Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift (32y 276d).
It would mark a remarkable few days for Blyth-born player, who bagged the opening goal as the Magpies ran out 2-1 winners over Liverpool at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup and end the club’s 70-year major domestic trophy drought.
