James, Chilwell, Dier and Mount? How England could line up under Thomas Tuchel

Former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel was confirmed as the new England men’s head coach on Wednesday morning, officially starting work on an 18-month contract from January 2025. 

Tuchel will start in the role following the conclusion of England’s UEFA Nations League campaign, which interim coach Lee Carsley has overseen thus far, with three wins from four matches. In 2025, Tuchel will be tasked with guiding the Three Lions to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which he will hope to win with the array of talent at his disposal. 

With his appointment now confirmed, just how might England line up with Tuchel at the helm? Here, we’ve taken a look at a number of set-ups favoured by the 51-year-old.

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3-4-3: Chilwell recalled, Reece James in a back three? 

Arguably Tuchel’s most favoured formation, the 3-4-3, saw great success in his early months at Chelsea. The German installed a three-man defence immediately at Stamford Bridge, becoming the first manager in Premier League history to oversee five clean sheets in his first five home matches. 

At Chelsea, Tuchel utilised English duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James as wing-backs in a 3-4-3 system, but the latter could also be deployed as the right-sided centre-back in that set-up.

Chilwell, meanwhile, could benefit from England’s well-publicised left-back shortage, and earn a recall to the national team under Tuchel. The 27-year-old, however, would likely require a departure from Chelsea in January - whether loan or permanent - in order to get regular minutes under his belt. 

3-4-2-1: Mount and Bellingham in behind Kane? 

Only a minor variation on the 3-4-3, the 3-4-2-1 formation is another that Thomas Tuchel has utilised throughout his coaching career. Particularly at Chelsea, this system saw Tuchel get the best form from Mason Mount, in a role just behind the striker.

In his time under Tuchel, Mount netted 19 goals in 87 appearances. The 25-year-old has since struggled to rediscover that form at Manchester United, though, and would likely need to if he is to earn a recall, and move ahead of the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden in the pecking order.

4-2-3-1: Stick with what has worked for England? 

Tuchel has preferred a three-man defence throughout his coaching career, but he may feel inclined to stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation for England, given its familiarity with many of the squad. The set-up has been almost ever-present under Lee Carsley, and was often Gareth Southgate’s first choice - though he experienced success with a three-man defence, too.

Which players are the notable winners following Tuchel’s appointment? 

England’s decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as their new head coach will have put plenty of players on alert, particularly those that he worked with at Chelsea, who aren’t currently a part of the national team. 

The likes of Reece James, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell stand out immediately, while Trevoh Chalobah, Eric Dier and Ruben Loftus-Cheek may also feel more confident of playing their way into the new boss’ plans. 

Three Lions captain Harry Kane will no doubt be enthused by the news too, given his scintillating form under Tuchel in his debut season at Bayern Munich. Kane scored 36 goals in just 32 Bundesliga matches, while he also netted a further eight in the UEFA Champions League.