New Declan Rice role and more clarity in Thomas Tuchel’s England reboot

It was Thomas Tuchel’s birthday and at the Hilton hotel, Wembley, next to the national stadium, they laid out cake so the media could celebrate with the England head coach.

The bulk lay uneaten. It was a sort of trifle adorned with exotic fruit and leaves made of gold-coloured chocolate. It looked complicated and it’s hard to type with cream on your hands.

But the messaging, when Tuchel spoke, was about clarity. He wanted to clarify his remarks about Jude Bellingham, bring more clarity to selection by naming a smaller squad and vowed, against Andorra and Serbia, to at last bring the clear style and patterns to England’s football he promised at his unveiling last October. The cake was tasty by the way — and, in discussion, Tuchel yielded plenty of juicy morsels too.

Time for Tuchel-ball

Before his first game, in March, Tuchel spoke dismissively about Sir Gareth Southgate. At Euro 2024, England lacked “the identity, the clarity, the rhythm, the repetition of patterns”, Tuchel said. As one of the world’s most respected tacticians you expected him to instil these quickly.

Instead, there has been experimentation (a 4-4-2 system in the 3-1 defeat by Senegal) and a chopping and changing of personnel. Take Jarrod Bowen. Across Tuchel’s three squads he has been a “hokey cokey” selection: in, out, and now in again.

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Tuchel promised a different phase. With only four camps before the World Cup, it’s time to nail down playing principles, tactics and routines and he spoke about selection in a new way — with a clear idea of the roles in his team and which players are competing for them. It is a squad of 24 (compared with the normal 26) with, more or less, two players named per position and those absent challenged to oust those with whom they are specifically competing.

The head coach is confident that fans will soon see the football he talked about at his unveiling EDDIE KEOGH/THE FA/GETTY

He accepted there has not been enough identity, clarity and repetition of patterns in his England so far. “It’s my responsibility. We [wanted] to see as many players as possible . . . and I understand international football better now,” he said. “We will work from Tuesday on exactly these patterns that we want to see. We need to identify them as a coaching team, this is our job. We need to make them clear, transport them to the players and, because we don’t have a lot of time, they need to be easy.

“Players need to drop their club hats and buy into these ideas. We will see them. I’m very sure, because it will be very clear.”

What principles will he work on? “The focus will be on deep build-up when we are on the ball, how to overcome a middle block and, defensively, how do we want to attack and press in the opponent’s half and how do we want to defend ourselves in a middle block?”

He sounded ready to focus on a measured version of 4-3-3, with pace and athleticism out wide and balance in the middle. Maybe Southgate wasn’t so dumb. It’s how England played their best football (at the 2022 World Cup) under him.

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Case for the defence (and dropping Trent)

Tuchel has pored over the data from his four games and noted how much England’s full backs end up on the ball. It’s bad news for Alexander-Arnold that he’s not included, given ball-playing ability is at the core of his appeal. But Tuchel’s love for “Reecey” — Reece James — shone through again and he named Tino Livramento as James’s back-up.

Livramento, like new pick Djed Spence on the opposite flank, is a running machine and the proliferation of brilliant wingers in today’s game has Tuchel valuing full backs who can match opponents athletically and excel in one-v-ones. Spence’s superb defending against Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the Super Cup was a big factor in his conclusion.

James fits the bill for Tuchel as an athletic, attacking full back who is willing to take on opponents MANAURE QUINTER/AFP/GETTY

Levi Colwill appears to have carried the can for England’s soft-centredness in the 3-1 loss to Senegal. Tuchel couldn’t be happier to have John Stones at last available and spoke warmly about the omitted Luke Shaw (who was a “very close call, I just want him to have more minutes”) and Harry Maguire.

“Harry Maguire is not done. At the moment the guys we choose in Harry’s position are slightly ahead. I think Harry carries sporting weapons that can be very, very valid in tournament football,” he said. Might Tuchel also end up edging back towards Southgate’s old central defence?

Rice’s role change

There were eye-catching call-ups for Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson and Tuchel explained one of his toughest decisions was excluding Curtis Jones, who impressed in the June camp. Part of his rationale is a role change for Declan Rice. Wharton will compete with Jordan Henderson for the No6 slot and Tuchel even mentioned Stones as an option there. Rice will get a chance to play as he does for Arsenal: higher up the pitch.

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“The decision in midfield is now to free up Declan on a more No8 position. And go for Anderson, to give him his chance (instead of Jones) after his under-21 campaign and with Nottingham Forest, for a bit more physicality, and just to make the competition a little bit more spicy.”

Rice will be given licence to roam forward in the manner he does for Arsenal ENRY NICHOLLS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Mason Mount — a player Tuchel adored at Chelsea — is not in the squad but back in his thoughts and, with Bellingham and Cole Palmer injured, Eberechi Eze with compete with the Morgans (Rogers and Gibbs-White) for the “half No10” slot.

It appears he also sees Phil Foden as a 10 now (having been unimpressed with his one-v-one penetration when he tried him on the wing). Excluding Foden “is not against Phil . . . he can show the hunger to get his place back at City, that’s the first step”.

Rashford’s X factor

There was only one outfield position where Tuchel named three options (the left wing) and it was because he made an exception for Marcus Rashford. Like Alexander-Arnold, and other exclusions such as Kobbie Mainoo, Rashford’s club form is unconvincing, but he offers a package Tuchel believes England otherwise lack — direct, pacey running in behind coupled with elite finishing ability.

“He tried very, very hard to be the best version of himself in the first camp [in March] and he made a big change into a new football culture, new country. He started already matches for Barcelona and I wanted to keep him going,” Tuchel said. “After long discussions we decided to take three players in this position. It’s Ebs [also a contender in the middle], Anthony [Gordon] and Marcus. I think [Marcus] gives us one-on-ones, finishing ability with both feet. He gives us the body and the speed to intimidate opponents and make the difference. It’s on him to keep that going.”

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Read more Tuchel apologises for Jude Bellingham ‘repulsive’ comment

Don’t burn Dowman and Ngumoha

Tuchel is thrilled by the emergence of teen wonders Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha. Arsenal’s Dowman, 15, was promoted to the England Under-19 squad, while Liverpool’s Ngumoha — who turned 17 on Friday — is with the under-18s for the first time.

Tuchel trusts the FA to manage their pathway but had a plea for the press and public. “It would be arrogant to give the impression I know the right way for them, but I’m hugely impressed when I think what I did at 15, 16. They play for the best teams in the country, in Europe and the world, full stadiums, in the most competitive league,” he said.

No immediate pressure will be put on Ngumoha as he makes his way with England Under-18 ADAM VAUGHAN /EPA

“When I called up Myles Lewis-Skelly we had a long discussion and it was almost parental and I was so happy when we did it because he was so good, so open, this nice boy, such a big personality already — but now it comes with a responsibility for us not to drop him on the first occasion, and now there are two guys even younger than him.

“We need to be careful and hopefully everyone does everything with a parental view to protect [Dowman and Ngumoha] and to not burn them in all this excitement.

“The strength at the moment is they just do, that they’re living their dreams and we need to make sure we don’t put the pressure up if at some point it gets a little more difficult.”

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