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What Can We Expect From Thomas Tuchel's England?
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What Can We Expect From Thomas Tuchel's England?

20/03/25 18:12

We are now just a day away from the first game of the Thomas Tuchel era. The German, after being given the England reins in January, has had the best part of three months to prepare for what should be a glittering debut game.

England will host Albania at Wembley, a game which presents the perfect opportunity for the Champions League winning manager to assert his dominance on the international stage with imediate effect.

After recent comments in an interview with ITV, the German looks set to narrow England's focus down to one thing: finally winning that long awaited major trophy. While England have reached the final in two of the last three major tournaments, they have done so at times unconvincingly, and Tuchel's statement indicate that he wants to turn the side into THE dominant force in the international game.

But what is Tuchelā€™s approach? How will he set up an England squad brimming with exciting talent? And how will his first international squad affect his options?

Tuchelā€™s Managerial Template

In his time as Chelsea coach, Tuchel became a massively popular figure, and despite managing just 100 games for the Blueā€™s, his 60% win rate, three trophies, and the Germanā€™s up front and likeable manner earned him a crowd covering banner, labelling him ā€œDeutscher Maestroā€, or German Maestro.

And for good reason. Adopting a three-slash-five at the back formation, he saw his Chelsea side adapt almost instantly, and soon they were a threat to even the best teams in Europe. They beat Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid on their way to the Champions League final, with their new look defence conceding just two goals across these two legged ties.

And of course, who can forgot the defensive clinic his side put on in the final against English rivals Manchester City, as Thomas Tuchel took on the tactical genius of Pep Guardiola, and won hands down. Never before had we seen City so comprehensively suffocated.

With the use of wing-backs Ben Chilwell and the recently recalled Reece James, who has not been in an England squad since March 2023, Chelsea boasted ultra-fit wide players who could add quality and unpredictability to any attack, whilst being able to tear back and help out in defence when required.

However, this obviously became a breathless, tiring affair for Chelseaā€™s wide men, which is likely why Tuchel ensured his side dominated possession whenever possible. Chelseaā€™s possession figures regularly hovered around the mid-sixties with Tuchel in charge, a clear focus on maintaining the ball, wearing opponents out, and slowly dragging men into the attack.

The German is also known for regularly changing his starting eleven. In his first 10 games in charge of the club, Tuchel made a total of 39 changes to Chelseaā€™s starting lineup, multitudes more than any other side, and in general, saw this move generate success, winning a Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup to go with the UCL title.

And this was not specific to Chelsea either, in his time at PSG, Tuchel was regularly willing to make tactical and personnel tweaks to suit the opposition. So adept at playing the opposition was the German that he led PSG, a club with very little European history at that point in time, to their first ever Champions League final in 2020.

So what is Tuchelā€™s managerial thesis?

How does Tuchel get England playing their best?

At Stamford Bridge, the presence of wing backs allowed the rest of their attack to stay narrow and high, creating gaps in the opposition defence as they struggled to decide where to close down first.

And when they lost the ball, their high attack allowed them to win a great number of duels high up the pitch; in fact, Chelsea were the third-highest scoring team in the 2020-21 season from high regains (winning possession in the attacking half).

With fit, willing runners in Mason Mount, Nā€™golo Kante and Jorginho, Tuchelā€™s midfield spine in his time in London was almost solely oriented around relentless pressing and high energy levels. However, when his side lost the ball and couldnā€™t regain it, their high line left them vulnerable, with only three centre backs to defend a counter attack.

Enter the athletic centre back. At Paris St Germain, it was Presnel Kimpembe, and at Chelsea, it was Antonio Rudiger. Tuchelā€™s mold relies heavily on a strong, physical, and most importantly fast centre back to do the bulk of the work whenever his side are in defensive transition.

Under Tuchel, Kimpembe was one of the toughest defenders in European football, and while he has fallen into relative obscurity since, the same cannot be said of Toni Rudiger. Completely out of favour under previous manager Frank Lampard, Tuchelā€™s countryman came into his own when ā€œTommy Tacticsā€ took over the side.

His remarkable pace, bullish strength, top tier mind games and his tendency to join an attack saw him become a fan-favourite after Tuchelā€™s takeover, and his performanceā€™s were of such a level that at the end of his contract in 2023, Real Madrid snapped him up. He is now regarded as one of the finest centre backs in world football.

However, Tuchelā€™s approach at Bayern Munich differed; perhaps realising he was coaching in a league with fewer legitimate title contenders, he set his side up on all out attack, in the popular 4-2-3-1 formation.

His wingers Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry were the primary ball carriers, and were crucial in getting the team forward, with their end goal to find one of Thomas Muller and Eric Choupo-Moting in space in the box, in order to create a shooting chance.

However, one notable problem that Tuchelā€™s Bayern side encountered was playing against a low block. They would regularly have over 65% possession, but would somehow contrive to lose the game, struggling to break down the opponent and then being undone by a concise counter-attack.

What can Tuchel do with this England squad?

With England slated to face Albania and then Latvia, Tuchel can afford to experiment. Against sides like Albania, who can boast some top five league players amongst their ranks, Tuchel would likely play the 3-4-2-1 he used at Chelsea, in order to side step any unwanted low-block problem.

However, against relatively unknown sides such as Latvia, he will almost certainly set-up with a more attacking formation, either in a 4-2-3-1, or an advanced 4-4-2, with the wingers pushing high enough to make it a 4-2-2-2. This would create a blur of movement at the top end of the pitch, confusing defenders and drawing them out of position, allowing England to pick their way through, and thus break down the low-block.

In big tournament games, he will likely favour the 3-4-2-1, which provides defensive solidity and attacking threat both centrally and out wide, and while we will have to wait for a clash with one of the world's heavyweights, there is plenty to deduce in the meantime.

For example, who will play the Toni Rudiger role? Marc Guehi seems to be the best candidate here, having the pace advantage over both debutant Dan Burn and Chelseaā€™s Levi Colwill.

Will he play with wing-backs? Almost certainly. Reece Jamesā€™ recall to the squad after two years of absence illustrates Tuchel confidence in him, and having seen first hand how destructive the Chelsea full-back could be in wide positions, he will likely employ him in a similar role here. With Myles Lewis-Skelly also handed his first call-up, the Arsenal youngster will complement James perfectly on the other flank.

Who will be the high intensity midfielders? Well, Tuchelā€™s surprise inclusion of Jordan Henderson leads me to believe that he will be used in the deeper midfield role at least once, while the likes of Declan Rice and Curtis Jones are also known for their intensity and energy.

In the attacking position, we will want quick decision makers, forwards who make the right decision 99 times out of 100. Here he is spoiled for choice, with Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and Jarrod Bowen all capable of thriving in supporting roles, with Morgan Rodgers a dangerous rotation option. As long as they are able to pick a pass through to Harry Kane at least once a game, then goals wonā€™t be a problem.

In goal, Tuchel likes a ball-playing keeper. Jordan Pickford, Englandā€™s number one since the 2018 World Cup, is favourite to once again fill this space, but the presence in the process of Burnley keeper James Trafford, who has kept a remarkable 26 clean sheets in the Championship already this season, shows the the German believes the youngster is capable of mounting a strong challenge for the number one shirt.

Tuchel is without doubt a world class manager, and should be able to coach England to comfortable wins through their qualifying campaign. Where he will really earn his keep is in the major tournaments.

With the World Cup next summer, he has just over a year to get his squad ship shape, to develop young players, and to work out how to best operate this outstandingly talented National team.

Real conclusions will start to be made when England play a top 10 team, but for now, Tuchel will be focused on getting his campaign off to a winning start.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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