Tuchel named a 26 man squad that saw inclusions for Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup winning goalscorer Dan Burn for the first time.
There were also surprise returns for Jordan Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, Reece James and Marcus Rashford. Much frustration has been made about Tuchel picking players based on repuatation rather than form, something that was a constant trend during Gareth Southgate’s eight year reign as three lions manager.
During his managerial career, Tuchel has tinkered between back three and four’s depending on what players he had at his disposal. Tuchel’s ability to be adaptable is something that brought him to the FA’s attention.
The German was last in charge of Bayern Munich where he set up in a 4-2-3-1 with two pivots and inverted full backs tucking in creating an overload at the back. The inverted full back role is something that Kyle walker has played for Manchester in the past and Tuchel trusts his on the ball ability.
Tuchel also utilised a back 4 in charge of PSG, but rather than his 4-2-3-1, Tuchel chose to use a 4-3-3. The 51 year-old has promised to deliver direct, exciting and attacking football which makes it more likely that a back four will be the favoured structure.
However, it was at Chelsea where Tuchel opted for a 3-4-2-1 with wing backs pushing high up the pitch, wingers playing as inside forwards and the solitary striker acting as a false nine. It can be argued that England don’t have the suitable players for these types of roles, once again highlighting a back four more likely.
So how could England line-up on Friday against Albania:
