7 Questions for Thomas Tuchel: The Future of the England National Team at Stake

The Three Lions coach is without key personnel for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia as he looks to improve on June's poor performances.

Thomas Tuchel find themselves in a paradoxical position as England prepare for their World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. The Three Lions could hardly be in a better position to secure their place in the tournament, as they lead Group K by four points after winning their first three matches. And yet, as things stand, they look miles away from being one of the contenders to go all the way in the United States, Mexico, and Canada next summer.

England's last training camp in June proved to be a complete disaster, as they barely edged out Andorra before losing a friendly against Senegal, and they have a lot of ground to make up with just four more matches before the manager names his World Cup squad and the countdown to the tournament begins. However, things have already gotten off to a rocky start this time around, with key players such as Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Cole Palmer ruled out through injury.

Thomas Tuchel He had plenty of detractors in the English media as soon as he was named Gareth Southgate's long-term successor, partly just because he's German, but also because of the short-term nature of his contract, which expires after the World Cup. The team's unconvincing performances under his stewardship have done little to convince those doubters, but a massive thrashing of lowly Andorra and a win in Serbia—his main rivals for the top spot in the group—would go a long way to winning those detractors over. Here are seven questions the England manager, and in particular Thomas Tuchel, you must respond within the next five days to improve the current environment surrounding your team.

Should Pickford remain number 1?

Jordan Pickford has been England's undisputed No. 1 since 2018, but competition for his place in the starting lineup has intensified recently. Dean Henderson showed his big-match mentality as Crystal Palace won the FA Cup final, although he then failed his England audition against Senegal. However, a more serious threat to Pickford appears to come from James Trafford, who has been tipped to succeed the Everton goalkeeper in the national team.

Trafford was the hero of England’s Under-21 Euro triumph in 2023, and his star rose further after his incredible season with Burnley in 2024-25, where he conceded just 16 goals in 45 Championship games, with a save rate of 85 percent. He can also rival Pickford for penalty saves, having saved one in the last gasp in that Under-21 Euro final against Spain, before saving two in a single game against promotion rivals Sunderland earlier this year. Trafford expressed his ambition to take the number 1 shirt from Pickford shortly after returning to Manchester City, although the club’s decision to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma on deadline day means he could now struggle to get regular first-team football. Healthy competition never hurt anyone, and one of the qualifying matches, particularly the match against Andorra, would be an ideal time to give the young hopeful his international debut and see how he performs under pressure.

Who should play right back?

Thomas Tuchel has made two significant decisions at right-back in his September squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold was surprisingly omitted, while Kyle Walker paid the price for his poor performance against Senegal by also being left out. This means the position is wide open, with three contenders in the group this week: Reece James, Tino Livramento, and debutant Djed Spence.

James is the obvious choice given his experience, not to mention the fact that he won the Champions League with Chelsea playing for Thomas Tuchel. However, his injury history – six prolonged absences with hamstring problems in the last four years, including a lengthy spell out following surgery – makes it risky to build the squad around him as the starting right-back for the World Cup. The 25-year-old is also not necessarily first-choice at Chelsea, having lost his place to Malo Gusto in the last two matches. Livramento, meanwhile, has become accustomed to playing on the left for Newcastle despite being naturally right-footed, and the same is true for Spence, who is making a strong initial impression on Thomas Frank at Tottenham on the left side of defence. With Alexander-Arnold likely to return to the team once he settles at Real Madrid, this is a great opportunity for all three candidates to make their case to be his main competition for a starting place.

How can you improve your relationship with your staff?

Thomas Tuchel He has a confusing relationship with his players. News that he partied with members of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning squad earlier this year suggested he can be approachable, but his habit of out-of-touch language, such as saying his mother finds Jude Bellingham “repulsive” — something he apologized for last week — showed how easily he can be turned on.

The England manager obviously doesn't have the same close bond with the squad that Southgate had, and probably never will. But Thomas Tuchel He also needs to avoid being seen as another Fabio Capello, who had a distant and often contentious relationship with his charges, which, unsurprisingly, did not favor the team. Tuchel needs to make the most of the little time they have together to get to know their players better and, above all, avoid making another mistake. Tuchel knows that locker room management is key.

Who can fill Bellingham's void?

Even after being insulted by the manager's mother, Bellingham remains the heart of this England team, just as he was in recent years under Southgate. He will be sorely missed at this training camp as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery, and someone needs to fill the void he leaves in both quality and grit, especially when England visit Serbia.

Elliot Anderson, who has earned his first cap thanks to some standout performances at the Under-21 European Championship, is the player who shares the most traits with Bellingham of all those in the squad. He can play in the double pivot of midfield as a box-to-box operator and also proved adept at playing in the No. 10 role for Nottingham Forest when Morgan Gibbs-White was absent last season. Gibbs-White can also fill in for Bellingham in an attacking sense, while Morgan Rogers, a West Midlands native like Bellingham, has played in the No. 10 role for Aston Villa and did so for England against Latvia in March.

How can the team excite the fans?

May Thomas Tuchel have a 100% record in competitive matches as England manager, but his team have yet to deliver a convincing performance despite facing some very manageable opponents. Matches against Albania and Latvia in March were decent but uninspiring, while the hard-fought victory over Andorra was almost embarrassing before the defeat against Senegal really set off alarm bells.

While Southgate may not have seemed like a standard-bearer for attacking football given the criticism he often received, his team routinely destroyed smaller nations (scoring six goals twice in World Cup group stages, for example). Even though Southgate's big wins came against inferior opposition, these triumphs boosted the team's confidence and morale among fans. Thomas Tuchel He could certainly benefit from the feel-good factor of a big win, especially with certain sections of the media on his tail. Therefore, his team must deliver a resounding win against Andorra and a convincing performance in Serbia to win over the many doubters and build momentum ahead of the World Cup.

Who will step up without Palmer or Saka?

Thomas Tuchel have been unlucky not to have a couple of England’s most exciting players available for two of their three training camps, with both Saka and Palmer previously missing March matches before injuries ruled them out of this month’s fixtures. However, England have no shortage of exciting wide attackers to fill their shoes, with Noni Madueke and Jarrod Bowen vying for the right-wing spot vacated by Saka, while Eberechi Eze will have his eyes on the central role Palmer typically occupies on the international stage. Eze will be looking to improve on his goal against Latvia – his only strike for his country – while this is the ideal time for Bowen to improve on his meager record of one goal in 16 appearances for the Three Lions.

Who should accompany Rice?

Declan Rice has been one of the first names on the England team sheet since switching allegiance from Ireland in 2019, but finding the right partner for him has been a dilemma for both Southgate and Thomas TuchelBellingham has played alongside him at times when not deployed as a number 10, but the Real Madrid midfielder's penchant for attacking has left the team vulnerable at times.

Rice's Euro 2024 teammate Kobbie Mainoo has not been called up by England for over a year, while Jordan Henderson has started just one of the four matches since returning to the squad in one of the most unpopular decisions of Tuchel. Curtis Jones and Conor Gallagher, who have also played alongside Rice in previous squads, are absent this time around. Adam Wharton would have been a natural partner but pulled out of the camp through injury. Wharton's replacement, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Henderson are the safe bets, although perhaps the most obvious candidate is Anderson, given the summer he enjoyed under Lee Carsley with the Under-21s.

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