A new England era starts tonight as Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions meet Albania at Wembley in their first 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Tuchel, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, is viewed as the elite-level coach required to get England over the final hurdle after a series of near-misses under Gareth Southgate, including back-to-back European Championship final defeats.
But while the 51-year-old arrives with new ideas, fresh energy and a different character to his predecessor, he must still overcome the same three major selection issues.
Left-back has been a consistent problem area for England, with Southgate relying – unwisely, as it turned out – on Luke Shaw’s recovery from injury and an out-of-position Kieran Trippier during Euro 2024.
Several new options have, however, emerged since, including Lewis Hall, who stood out in Lee Carsley’s final games in interim charge in the autumn.
Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly is the exciting newcomer and while Tuchel has admitted he was cautious about calling the 18-year-old up so soon, including him in his first XI this evening would give it a vibrant, fresh feel.
