Egos, formations and selection dilemma.. Thomas Tuchel’s England to-do list in just 15 games before bid to win World Cup

2 months ago 21

THE ultimate mission is simple – you have 18 months to win the World Cup for England.

But for Thomas Tuchel the pathway to glory resembles a minefield.

a man with a beard is smiling in front of a microphone

Thomas Tuchel will have at most 15 games before the World Cup[/caption]

a player with the number 5 on their jersey

Tuchel will have to find a spot for Jude Bellingham in the team[/caption]

Under Gareth Southgate, England were one step from heaven – losing two consecutive European Championship finals, as well enjoying two very decent World Cup campaigns.

But the final step – that of actually winning a trophy – is the most important, and most difficult.

So what are the major issues facing England’s incoming German manager, who has a maximum of just 15 matches in charge before the World Cup kicks off in the United States?

The personalities and egos. The potential formations. The surplus of English talent in some areas and the glaring lack in others. The need to build on Southgate’s successes as well as learning from his failures.

And there will be precious little time for experimentation, given that Tuchel must first secure qualification.

JUDE BELLINGHAM

THE Real Madrid Galactico is the greatest English talent of his generation – so what’s the problem?

Well, how best to integrate Bellingham as a footballer and a man.

For Real and England, Bellingham has played as a No 10, as a deep-lying midfielder, wide on the left and as a false nine.

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And while No 10 is almost certainly his best position, the same can be said for Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, so is it possible to include all three of these major players in one effective starting line-up?

Then there’s the issue of Bellingham’s star status. During the Euros there were whisperings of an oversized ego and personality clashes with other key players. If so, Tuchel needs to stamp on the problem.

a poster showing tuchel vs southgate management records compared

HARRY KANE

a soccer player with the number 9 on his jersey shakes hands with another player

Tuchel worked with Harry Kane at Bayern Munich[/caption]

TUCHEL is a huge fan of the England skipper and was proud of his significant coup in capturing Kane for Bayern.

Kane will remain as captain as first-choice No 9 – but what if he is misfiring?

What if Kane has an injury issue, such as the one which hampered him during the Euros, when Southgate was unwilling to drop him?

Kane is more likely than most players to deny any fitness problem, and to insist on playing through pain – but Tuchel must have the balls to bench his captain if it is necessary.

FORMATION

a man in a black shirt is screaming with his mouth open

The manager has used multiple formations during his career[/caption]

TUCHEL is tactically flexible, having played with a 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1 as well as with a 3-4-3 wing-back system at Chelsea, where he won the Champions League.

With so few matches in which to settle on his best England formation – and with Tuchel bafflingly not taking charge of next month’s two Nations League fixtures – he must be clear in a tactical vision which best suits his players and then stick to his guns.

This issue is connected to the ‘Bellingham-Palmer-Foden’ conundrum as well as England’s lack of left-backs.

Could Bukayo Saka be employed as a left wing-back to counteract that problem?

And if you haven’t got two world-class centre-backs, is it better to go with a back three, including the pace of Kyle Walker, a man Tuchel tried hard to sign for Bayern?

Then there’s the issue of Southgate’s reputation for over-caution. Tuchel is no free-wheeling entertainer. Is he bothered if the nation yawns while England win games?

OLD FAVOURITES

a man in a nike jacket hugging a soccer player

Tuchel worked with Reece James while at Chelsea[/caption]

THERE are at least three English players currently out of the England set-up who have been favourites of Tuchel at club level – Reece James, Mason Mount and Eric Dier. Does the German bring them back into the fold?

James and Mount have both been seriously affected by injury in recent years but if fit and firing, could James challenge Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker at right-back and would Mount enter the argument in the crowded attacking midfield positions?

Dier was frozen out by Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou as well as Southgate but Tuchel revived his career at Bayern. Is he worth another England chance?

FIND A LEFT-BACK

a soccer player with the number 3 on his jersey

Tuchel will have to find a replacement for injury-prone Luke Shaw[/caption]

THIS is England’s most glaring problem area given that Luke Shaw is rarely fit, while Ben Chilwell has been frozen out at Chelsea – where he was never a Tuchel favourite anyway.

England have been employing specialist right-backs on the left in recent times, which has affected the balance of the team.

Tuchel cannot stick with that plan so does he opt for a wing-back system with Saka on the left or find a new specialist in a back four?

Brentford’s Rico Henry will soon return from a long-term injury, while Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell or Leif Davis are also worthy of Tuchel’s consideration.

CLUB v COUNTRY

a man stands in front of a sign that says the final

Gareth Southgate built a great team atmosphere[/caption]

FOR decades before Southgate came along, England were often hampered by club-versus-country rows – resulting in plenty of dodgy sicknotes.

Southgate virtually eradicated these issues, having worked hard to forge excellent relationships with individual managers, as well as between the FA and Premier League clubs, before and during his own reign as England’s senior manager.

Firebrand Tuchel is a less clubbable personality so can he avoid burning the bridges his predecessor did so well in building?

MASON GREENWOOD

a soccer player wearing a white shirt with the word gm on it

Mason Greenwood has been in good form since joining Marseille[/caption]

A LEFT-FIELD issue this – but what if Tuchel wants to bring back Greenwood, a great English talent, who brings a vast amount of off-field baggage?

In pure footballing terms, Greenwood is outstanding. A direct wide forward and an excellent finisher who has been tearing it up in France since joining Marseille, after a successful spell at Getafe in La Liga last term.

Greenwood is expected to switch international allegiance to Jamaica but might Tuchel be tempted to keep him in the England system?

If so he would be stepping into a moral maze. Charges of domestic violence against Greenwood have been dropped and he has not been convicted of any crime but many, including the FA top brass, would baulk at the idea of seeing him in an England shirt again.