The German coach is set to announce his picks on Friday for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia
The wait is almost over! After the predictable backlash that followed the confirmation of Thomas Tuchel as England's new manager all the way back in October, the German will take charge of the Three Lions for the first time on Friday, March 21 for a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Albania.
Before that, though, we'll have an eagerly-awaited squad announcement, with every English football fan excited to see which players Tuchel will pick as he begins a short spell in charge that the Football Association (FA) is hoping will end in World Cup glory in 16 months' time. Unfortunately, injury has robbed the former Chelsea boss of the services of Bukayo Saka, John Stones, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, but the competition for places is still intense.
So, who do you want to see Tuchel select for the games against Albania and Latvia? Because that's the question we put to nine GOAL writers and editors (Stephen Darwin, Krishan Davis, Mark Doyle, Richard Martin, Tom Maston, Amee Ruszkai, Joe Strange, Sean Walsh and James Westwood) ahead of Friday's squad announcement and you can peruse – and debate – the results below…
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Unsurprisingly, England's long-time first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford picked up a maximum nine votes from our selection committee – but so too did James Trafford. The 22-year-old may be plying his trade in the Championship, but he's playing a key role in Burnley's promotion push and he earns inclusion alongside Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson (eight votes).
There has been some talk in recent days that Southampton shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale might earn a recall because of the dearth of goalkeeping options in the Premier League, but both he and Newcastle No.1 Nick Pope picked up just one vote apiece.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive capabilities remain a topic of heated debate, but every single one of our voters included Liverpool's homegrown hero in their respective squads, although the injury he suffered for Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday could yet rule him out of contention.
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly also makes the cut (five votes) despite concerns over his discipline, while Newcastle's Tino Livramento also saw off some stiff competition from some far more experienced players to claim the remaining full-back berth.
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One could argue that Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has occasionally struggled this season to replicate his almost-immaculate Euro 2024 form, but he's another universal pick with our voters.
Harry Maguire, who is earning plenty of praise for the way in which he's turned his Manchester United career around, and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa also proved very popular, collecting eight votes apiece.
There's also room for a couple of 22-year-olds in Jarrad Branthwaite (five votes) and Levi Colwill (four), with the former among several Everton players to have benefited from David Moyes' return as manager, while the latter is undoubtedly profiting from his useful ability to play left-back – which remains a real problem position for England.
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Nobody will be at all surprised to learn that not a single voter left either Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice off their list of midfielders. The pair are certain starters for both club and country.
However, the fact that Conor Gallagher also claimed nine votes will likely raise a few eyebrows, given he's been in and out of the Atletico Madrid team since moving to the Metropolitano from Chelsea last summer.
Elsewhere, Morgan Rogers (eight votes) is included due to his fine form for Aston Villa this season, and our experts also want Adam Wharton (seven) rewarded for impressing for Crystal Palace since returning from injury last month.
Curtis Jones' (seven) versatility is also obviously seen as a boon, while Morgan Gibbs-White (six) has unquestionably been key to Nottingham Forest's remarkable Premier League campaign to date.