Three England players axed from Thomas Tuchel’s squad to face Albania as team news ‘leaked’
Josh Lawless
3 – 4 minutes
News on Thomas Tuchel’s first ever England matchday squad has emerged ahead of his debut in the dugout against Albania on Friday evening.
Having signed a deal to replace Gareth Southgate in October, Tuchel officially started his reign in January and will take charge of England for the first time at Wembley in a World Cup qualifier.
He put his stamp on the side immediately in bringing back Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Reece James into the fold, as well as calling up Dan Burn and Myles-Lewis Skelly for the first time.
Tuchel selected a 26-man squad and was forced into an early change as Cole Palmer’s fitness issues meant Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White was called in as a replacement after initially not making the cut.
But with UEFA rules state that only 23 players can be included for a fixture and so Tuchel is required to leave three players out of his squad.
According to Sami Mokbel of the BBC, Gibbs-White has missed out along with Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale.
The trio will therefore watch the game from the stands, hoping to get back in the mix for the visit of Latvia on Monday.
England’s 23-man squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, on loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, on loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Details around the starting XI have been scarce but captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are all expected to start for the Three Lions.
Although has not given away any secrets on the system he wishes to play, Sky Sports say Tuchel is expected to play a back four in his first game at the helm.
He had achieved success playing back with a three, notably winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.
Hours before his first game, Tuchel appeared to aim a dig at Southgate’s approach at Euro 2024, where England got to the final but lost to Spain late on.
Highlighting, where it went wrong, Tuchel told ITV that England were “more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win it”.
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The former Bayern Munich boss also said that the team did not have a clear playing style and lacked the freedom and expression.
