England will host Albania on Friday Night in a home match in the UEFA Nations League. The Thomas Tuchel era begins on Friday Night.
England’s pursuit of World Cup glory begins and so does the Thomas Tuchel era, with the Champions League winning manager getting his first taste of international football under the arch.
There were eyebrows raised across all four corners of the country when the German announced his squad, with the return of Jordan Henderson and the call-up of Dan Burn among the surprises.
These games have often been routine victories in the past for England and they’ll be hoping for the same on Friday night.
We have tips and predictions for you to feast your eyes upon below.
England to win to nil
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Usually these qualifiers are a formality for England, they have reached every major tournament since Euro 2008 and their record is impeccable against Albania, winning all six of their clashes and conceding just one goal in the process.
England to win to nil looks a good option for this clash.
The biggest curveball thrown by the German tactician was his decision to hand a lifeline to former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, despite the Ajax midfielder having barely had a full runout in nearly six weeks. This controversial gamble came at the expense of Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher, and Adam Wharton, who were all left out, while Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly received their first call-ups.
Chelsea fans will have a sense of what to expect from their former Champions League-winning boss – his tactical nuances, his relentless demands, and, importantly, his knack for big-game strategy – but for the rest of the hosts, the coming weeks will be a fascinating glimpse into what Tuchel’s Three Lions will look like.
After eight years of Southgate’s steady hand, a new era is dawning, and with it comes the opportunity for bold experimentation. With that in mind, we’ve taken our best shot at predicting the lineup Tuchel will trust to usher in this new chapter when England step onto the pitch on March 21 on his debut.
Indeed, other good options in this area include Cole Palmer or Eberechi Eze, while Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson offer more defensively sound options should the midfield spaces be in need of tightening. However, with no suitable like-for-like replacement for Rice should the Arsenal star get injured, the concern will be, again, whether England have enough good defensive midfielders.
The midfield unit for the Three Lions still looks like a kitchen with too many cooks in it. The way Southgate found a way around this during the delayed Euro 2020 was the use of system player Kalvin Phillips. Of course, it’s too soon for Tuchel to have found his version of an understated teacher’s pet, so it will be interesting to see if that ever does come to fruition to balance out the lineup with big names and ones that do the dirty work.
Since sealing a loan move to Aston Villa in January, Rashford has rediscovered his spark. While England’s attacking setup isn’t b blessed with pace, his speed and directness could be a potent weapon for Tuchel against Albania, particularly in tandem with the playmaking brilliance of Kane and Phil Foden. He does, however, face stiff competition from Anthony Gordon, but Tuchel is expected to back his admiration for the Manchester United outcast and hand him a starting role on Friday night.
