England are set for a new era under German manager Thomas Tuchel. The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager will take charge in 2025, but what will be the England starting 11 under Tuchel?
England confirmed today that Tuchel would take charge of the men’s national team in 2025. This leaves Tuchel just over a year to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in America, Mexico, and Canada.
There are lots of unknowns when a new manager takes over, especially at the international level. Some, including Harry Redknapp, are already questioning the decision to hire just the third non-English manager to run the senior men’s team.
The big question most fans will be asking is what will be the England starting 11 under Tuchel?
England Starting 11 Under Tuchel – Formation and Tactics
Transfermarkt have Tuchel’s preferred formation as a 4-2-3-1 and this is the formation he used during his time at Bayern. However, he’s also been known to play a three at back, something he did with Chelsea.
Recently, England have played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, so it’s likely he’ll use this formation when he takes charge of England. It allows Tuchel to utilise England’s best players while having the defensive coverage of two players in front of the backline.
England fans are likely to see a difference in the out-of-possession style from England. Gareth Southgate preferred a more safety-first style, with players getting behind the ball and being structured. This worked well for Southgate evidently, with the team reaching two finals, but it did reduce the creative spark.
Tuchel prefers his teams to be aggressive off the ball in an attempt to retrieve the ball quickly. When they do get it back, he likes his teams to be creative and take risks, something that will likely fit the many creative players England have.
England Starting 11 Under Tuchel
Even though Tuchel will look to implement his own style of play and formation on the England side, he’s still likely to have the same headaches as Southgate.
One of those headaches is who will start left back? Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw have been England’s only actual left-backs in recent years, but both have struggled with injuries. Tuchel has worked with Chilwell before, so that might benefit the Chelsea man if he gets back playing regularly.
We’ve seen both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier play there, but their lack of left foot has hindered England going forward. If Tuchel wants to get the best out of Trent, he needs to play him on the right of the defence.
Until a recognised left-back breaks through into the team, it’s likely Levi Colwill will slot in there. Colwill has proven for England and Chelsea he’s more than capable of playing at left-back.
Another headache is who will play the 10 role. This is arguably a good headache to have because it shows the talent available to Tuchel. He’s got Cole Palmer and Phil Foden to choose between in that spot, two players who would likely walk into any international team.
Southgate opted to play Foden on the left, and Jude Bellingham in the 10. However, we’re likely to see Jude play deeper, in the box-to-box role he did so well at Dortmund.
To the frustration of many, Southgate left both Palmer and left-winger Antony Gordon out in the cold during the Euros. Gordon has shown he’s a threat on the left. He’s direct and will get balls into the box for Harry Kane. He’s likely to be picked by Tuchel to start out wide but will have competition from Jack Grealish with him rediscovering his form.
This means it’s a flip of the coin for who will start behind Kane between Palmer and Foden. Either way, England will have a player capable of producing a magical moment in the big games.
Jordan Pickford and Kane are likely to keep their starting roles in the England starting 11 under Tuchel, especially the latter who flourished under Tuchel at Bayern. Kane scored 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga games for Tuchel, numbers that will get most England fans excited.
As for Pickford, he’s got Dean Henderson and Nick Pope breathing down his neck, but he’s proven for England he’s the man for the big games. He’ll need to stay at his best to keep other goalkeepers away from his number one spot.