Tuchel takes first steps on England journey targeting World Cup glory

LONDON: Over five months on from Thomas Tuchel´s appointment as England´s new manager, the German will finally take charge of the team for the first time in Friday´s World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley.

Tuchel is under no illusions about his objective with England after being handed a contract only until the end of next year´s World Cup. England have not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, although they have come agonisingly close to ending that drought in recent years.

Under Tuchel´s predecessor Gareth Southgate they twice lost in the European Championship final and reached the latter stages of the last two World Cups. The English Football Association have invested heavily in Tuchel´s track record as a serial winner at Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, ignoring criticism for not trusting an English coach with a talented generation of players.

A qualifying group also containing Serbia, Latvia and Andorra should pose few problems for the side ranked fourth in the world. But the next week will offer some pointers towards what to expect from Tuchel´s England. His first squad announcement contained a number of surprises.

Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford returned after being sidelined in the latter stages of Southgate´s era and under interim boss Lee Carsley. There was also a first call-up for 32-year-old Newcastle defender Dan Burn, who scored in Sunday´s League Cup final win over Liverpool.

Tuchel was adamant that all three are real contenders to go to the World Cup and that a blend of experience and emerging talent is needed to thrive at international tournaments. Henderson has not featured for England since November 2023, but Tuchel believes the 34-year-old Ajax midfielder can still play a vital role. “He´s a serial winner, his personality, character. He is the glue in every team where he played, and he will be the glue that makes things special,” said Tuchel.

Southgate and Carsley were keen to promote and develop young talent. But in backing the likes of Henderson, Burn and Kye Walker, Tuchel is placing more emphasis on experience. England´s major tournament post-mortems have often revolved around following the examples of the French, German or Spanish models on player development.

Tuchel, however, seems keen to tap into the ´DNA´ of English football by embracing the pace and power of the Premier League. “The Premier League is a very physically demanding league, is a very direct league and I think we should be brave enough to play like an England squad and should not try to copy other nations´ styles too much,” he said. Tuchel has demanded more “rhythm and intensity” from his players.