THOMAS TUCHEL has promised England's players a clean slate when he takes over as England manager.
This includes a chat with Arsenal's Ben White about whether he wants to end his self-imposed exile from international football.
And it will also be good news for the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling, who could potentially return if they can rediscover their top form on a consistent basis in the Premier League.
Tuchel was at FIFA headquarters in Zurich for the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw, even though he will not officially start work until New Year.
The German's full-time predecessor, Gareth Southgate, had the ability to mesmerize the draws for both qualifiers and major tournaments as he always finished in easy groups.
And it appears Southgate has passed on his secret to Tuchel.
The former Bayern Munich manager drove to Switzerland as it is only 260 kilometers from his home in Bavaria.
And his team will surely sail into the 2026 tournament that will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tuchel said: “It has to be a clean start and a clear story. It starts from January. From January I will be in the stadiums. The players just need to know: 'Okay, the boss will be there from January'.
“Then of course I'm going to try to appeal to them, but also be respectful of the schedule they have because the schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League.”
FOOTBALL FREE BETTS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Asked about White, Tuchel said: “Yes. I will contact him.”
Although the German has about a slim chance of success in convincing the player to make a U-turn.
He left the team during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for personal reasons.
It is also likely that Tuchel, who was fond of Mount when he was in charge at Chelsea, is also likely to pull off a shock, in the same way that interim manager Lee Carsley pulled off a surprise by parachuting Angel Gomes into the squad for the UEFA Nations League matches.
Although Tuchel is talking about a fresh start, he will probably still stick with Harry Kane as captain.
There is a valid argument that number 9s are not great captains, although Tuchel is the man who persuaded his bosses at Bayern Munich to sign Kane from Tottenham. It would be a huge shock if the skipper's armband was suddenly handed to Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice.
Tuchel said: “There is no need to think about the change. I've been in charge since January and Harry was also a top captain for England, so why think about that at this point? When we arrive at the river, we cross the river.
“We'll go to January first and then we'll get in touch with everyone and get a feel for St George's and the players too.
“There is still a lot of football to be played until March and then we will try to find the best group for the matches that await.”
England have not lost a World Cup qualifier since the 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in 2009, which was a dead rubber.
Serbia, ranked 32nd in the world, are not a bad team, but you are still more concerned about the behavior of their fans than the team.
Albania's supporters also caused trouble at Euro 2024, and we're not talking about the fans who nibbled spaghetti in front of a group of Italians before their group match.
England had few problems against the Albanians in qualifying for Qatar and it is also annoying that this match also includes games against hopeless Andorra, which, according to Southgate, had the worst plastic pitch in European football.
Tuchel yesterday responded to criticism that he has not attended a Premier League match or been in the stands for the last two England games under interim manager Lee Carsley in November as he was confirmed as manager.
He said: “Why should I sit in the stands? My wish was to have Lee complete this campaign because obviously the FA had more or less the agreement with Lee to complete this Nations League campaign.
“Why are the cameras on me? Why are they on me? What about Lee and his team and his nomination? It's a way for me to show my respect and show my trust, not to be there and sit in the stands.” and get all the media attention.”
Surprisingly, Tuchel still hasn't spoken to Carsley.
With a wink he added: “The famous handover hasn't been done yet – we'll do it quite naturally when I get to St. George's in January.
“From then on we will hopefully have very close communication and open doors because he is the U21 coach and I am responsible for the first team.”
Comments