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Five things Tuchel must do to prepare England for World Cup glory

The Thomas Tuchel era for England will start this week when The Three Lions face Albania in their first qualifier for the 2026 World Cup. Hired to deliver World Cup glory next year, Tuchel is under pressure to quickly forge a team capable of going the distance in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Here are five things he must do to turn England into World Cup winners.

 

Get the best out of Harry Kane

 

Not many countries have a centre forward on the level of Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich striker is one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation, but is now 31 and has faced criticism at club level this season for the perceived decline in his all-round game.

 

Tuchel knows Kane well from their time together at the Allianz Arena and must get the best out of the centre forward if England are to have a successful 2026 World Cup. Does Tuchel want Kane to be a final third conductor through his passing range and playmaking ability or would he prefer the 31-year-old stay in the box to get on the end of chances?

 

Find the right balance in midfield

 

England’s midfield unit has been a puzzle for years. Gareth Southgate was accused of being too conservative with his selections in the centre of the pitch, but latterly demonstrated a willingness to experiment with different options. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo all played in central midfield at Euro 2024.

 

The decision to call up Jordan Henderson suggests Tuchel will play it safe with his midfield set up, although there is the option to deploy Jude Bellingham as a number eight with Declan Rice in a holding role. We will learn more about Tuchel’s approach in this area in the matches against Albania and Latvia.

 

Settle on a right back solution 

 

Not so long ago England were awash with right back options. Now, there is a question over who will occupy the position for Tuchel. Kyle Walker has suffered a physical drop-off this season while Reece James continues to struggle for fitness and has been playing in central midfield for Chelsea recently.

 

Alexander-Arnold is the obvious choice in terms of his creative ability, but the Liverpool right back has long been targeted for his lack of defensive nous. Tino Livramento can play at right back. However, he has been used more commonly on the left for Newcastle United this season. Tuchel has to settle on a solution.

 

Forge a new centre back pairing

 

There’s no John Stones in Tuchel’s first England squad. Nor was Harry Maguire included in the 26-player group. This means Tuchel will need to forge a new centre back pairing to give his team a solid defensive foundation for the games against Albania and Latvia and possibly heading into the 2026 World Cup.

 

Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah have all been picked by Tuchel for this week and next week’s games and while all four centre back options have potential, none are true elite level performers. This might be the area where Tuchel has to experiment the most to find the right duo.

 

Be more proactive in the big games

 

While England undeniably made strides forward under Southgate, his England teams were never truly able to impose themselves on opponents in the biggest games. Croatia in 2018. Italy in 2021. France in 2022. Spain in 2024. Whenever England came up against an opponent of comparable quality, they were second best.

 

Tuchel must prepare England to be more proactive and made the best of their attacking and creative talent no matter the team in front of them. To win a World Cup The Three Lions must be able to beat the best. Tuchel needs a plan to make this a reality.