Tactics-obsessed head coach wants his players to feel free to criticise anyone not doing their job properlyThomas Tuchel loves to talk tactics with an obsessive attention to detail, taking in the tiny tweaks, the dizzying range of possibilities. The England head coach started with a 4-2-3-1 system in his first game against Albania on Friday, playing Curtis Jones alongside Declan Rice in midfield, partly because he was conscious of the threat of the opposing No 8s. He did not want Rice to be outnumbered against the ball.Tuchel, who is looking ahead to the meeting with Latvia on Monday night, thinks it would be possible for his England to play a 4-1-4-1 with “five very offensive players and more or less Dec as a holding midfielder”, although he wonders whether this would provide enough control in midfield. Would it be too open? He mentioned using a “3-2, with three No 10s and two No 6s” – in other words, a different version of 4‑2‑3‑1, allowing him t...
Thomas Tuchel wants England players to be "ruthless with each other" to improve their performance. He experimented with formations against Albania, including a 4-2-3-1 and considering a more offensive 4-1-4-1. He also pushed left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly higher up the pitch. Anthony Gordon withdrew from the England squad due to injury.
