The first major question surrounding Thomas Tuchel as England manager has been answered.
Tuchel named his first 26-man squad since taking over as Three Lions boss on Friday, with a number of surprise inclusions and omissions.
With the squad now in place, attention shifts towards how Tuchel’s team will line-up and the tactics he may use.
Most modern managers take a fluid and flexible approach to how they set their teams up so a mid-game change in formation is not overly disruptive to their style of play.
Tuchel has used a variety of formations over the course of his career, but there are three he’s used more than most: 4-2-3-1, 3-4-2-1 and 4-3-3.
Speaking last Friday, Tuchel was coy on whether he would operate with a back four or a back five but stated his team’s style of play ‘needs to reflect the Premier League.’
“We should not try to copy other nations or other styles,” Tuchel said.
“It just reflect the values of the country with the strongest league in the world.
“We will try to implement a direct, attacking style and we will try to increase the rhythm and intensity of our game.
“We will try to do this in a crash course on Monday and unleash the potential on Friday.”
Here, talkSPORT.com breaks down how Tuchel’s England side could line up for each of the three formations ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Albania on Friday, live on talkSPORT.
Remember, these are the predicted line-ups for just the Albania fixture and not for the World Cup itself, so bear with us as we explain the rationale behind the selections.
4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 is Tuchel’s go-to formation and was what he used for the majority of his most recent managerial stint at Bayern Munich.
With the two midfield pivots, it offers defensive solidity and allows a midfielder to roam further forward and operate between the lines.
We start at the back and Jordan Pickford is a shoo-in to reprise his role as England’s no.1 goalkeeper.
At left-back, things become a little interesting given the lack of out-and-out left-backs in the squad due to a number of injuries.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, a midfielder by trade but converted into a left-back under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, stands a strong chance of making his England debut.
Carabao Cup final hero Dan Burn, as well as Levi Colwill and Tino Livramento are also all capable of playing at left-back, but given Lewis-Skelly has featured in the position consistently, he looks likely to get the nod.
At right centre-back, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is nailed on to feature given he has started in 12 of England’s last 15 fixtures.
As for Guehi’s partner at left centre-back, Colwill and Burn loom as the likely candidates.
But given Colwill’s experience – albeit brief – at international level and having played next to Guehi previously, it is the safe option for Tuchel in his first match.
Though there could be a temptation to select hero of the hour for Newcastle in Burn, who scored the opening goal in the win over Liverpool at Wembley.
Kyle Walker, who has 93 England caps, is another sensible choice for Tuchel. Although he may not possess the same bursts of speed he used to, the 34-year-old AC Milan defender adds plenty of experience and will be a wise head to help the backline carry out Tuchel’s instructions.
Stay with us on the theme of experience, because it explains one of our selections in the midfield pivot.
Jordan Henderson‘s inclusion caused plenty of uproar given his last England cap was against Malta in November 2023, but Tuchel’s comments regarding the Ajax midfielder showed just how highly he rates him.
Tuchel waxed lyrical about Henderson’s ‘character, personality and energy’ and added those qualities are ‘a big piece in that puzzle’.
With Tuchel’s quotes in mind, it gives credence to the idea Henderson will start in the first match of his England tenure over Curtis Jones.
Partnering Henderson in the midfield pivot will be Declan Rice, who has been an ever-present in the England line-up.
We then move on to those who will make up England’s attacking unit.
Jude Bellingham is the logical choice to play as the attacking midfielder given he played there in England’s last three fixtures.
Cole Palmer would have been a strong chance to start on the right wing, but given he missed Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday through injury, it’s looking certain the midfield dynamo will feature against Albania.
Palmer’s injury opens the door for Manchester City’s Phil Foden to start.
Foden has primarily played on the left or as an attacking midfielder for England but given he has featured heavily on the right wing for City this term, Tuchel may give him the chance to show his worth.
On the left, Aston Villa’s Marcus Rashford looks primed for his first international minutes in almost a year.
When speaking about Rashford’s inclusion, Tuchel was ‘delighted’ to see the winger’s ‘consistent energy in defence’ for Villa.
Tuchel added he hopes Rashford’s call-up gives him ‘the extra push’ to stay at that level, so it only makes sense for the 27-year-old to show his qualities against Albania from the start.
It goes without saying England skipper Harry Kane will start up top.
3-4-2-1
Chelsea fans will know all about Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 formation as it was his go-to during his stint at Stamford Bridge.
At times the formation would be tweaked to 3-4-1-2 whenever Tuchel wanted extra firepower up top.
Before we get to the re-jigged defensive line, we start in goal and Pickford is once again the likeliest candidate to start between the sticks.
The left wing-back role could suit Lewis-Skelly’s skill-set even more than the regular left-back position given he enjoys getting forward at the appropriate opportunity.
Guehi is an easy choice to start in the middle of the back three, while Colwill is a solid candidate to feature on the left side.
As for the right centre-back, Walker has experience in the position at international level having played there as recently as Euro 2024.
With Walker shifting into the back three, it opens up the right wing-back role.
Reece James, who Tuchel knows well from his stint at Stamford Bridge, is a strong shout for a starting berth if the German goes for a back three or back five, depending on how you want to look at things.
James is a right-back by trade but has recently featured as a defensive midfielder for Chelsea.
However, his familiarity with Tuchel gives him the edge over fellow right-back Livramento.
Henderson and Rice will play as the midfield two thanks to their boundless energy to get across the field and maintain possession.
Foden and Bellingham will feature as the attacking midfield pair and dominate the central areas, allowing for Lewis-Skelly and James to operate in dangerous positions higher up the field.
The pairing of Foden and Bellingham will be music to Kane’s ears, with the duo to create plenty of chances for the Three Lions skipper to feed off.
4-3-3
The other formation Tuchel has favoured is the 4-3-3, which he often used at Paris Saint-Germain.
A formation widely adopted across the world, it offers plenty of balance and control in midfield.
Luckily for Tuchel and England, it is an area of the field in which they have plenty of quality.
Similarly to the 4-2-3-1 formation, a back four of Lewis-Skelly, Colwill, Guehi and Walker will protect Pickford in goal.
With the midfield three, Rice will act as the anchor while Henderson provides box-to-box cover.
Joining them in the engine room will be Bellingham, who will be the more attacking of the three.
Although Bellingham tends to operate further forward, he played as part of a midfield trio several times for England at Euro 2024.
That leaves us with the front three and it makes sense for those named in the predicted 4-2-3-1 line-up to return here, so Rashford and Foden slot in on the left and right wing respectively.
As is the case with the other two formations, Kane will start up top.
Regardless of how Tuchel’s side lines up and who starts against Albania, it will no doubt give us plenty of insights into what we should come to expect from the Three Lions under the German.
In turn, Tuchel will get an early sense of who might – and might not – be strong contenders to be on the plane to next year’s World Cup.
