England vs Albania LIVE: Thomas Tuchel takes cost of first recreation and prepares to call crew
England take on Albania at Wembley in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge. The German coach has been appointed on an 18-month contract through to the 2026 World Cup and England begin that journey as their qualifying campaign gets underway.
Tuchel has wasted no time explaining where England fell short under Gareth Southgate, saying that he felt the team were “afraid” during last summer’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. “I want us to play with excitement and the hunger and desire to win,” Tuchel said. “And the acceptance of failure is part of it, especially in football.”
Tuchel arrives with an impressive CV, that includes winning the Champions League with Chelsea, and made a number of eye-catching calls when naming his first squad, including a recall for former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Now all eyes are on Tuchel’s first England line-up as the Three Lions look to hit the ground running in their World Cup qualifying group that includes Serbia, Latvia, Andorra and tonight’s opponents Albania.
Follow live updates from Wembley ahead of Tuchel’s first game in charge, below:
How Dan Burn went from Asda shifts to England call – and proved everyone wrong
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham spent Euro 2024 in Germany, in Blankenhain and Berlin, Dusseldorf and Dortmund, Frankfurt and Cologne. Dan Burn spent it in an Airbnb.
It was another indication of the parallel lives of England’s resident superstars and the call-up with the most improbable back story in years, perhaps since Rickie Lambert or Chris Powell.
Thomas Tuchel’s maiden selection was expected to contain men from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. It also included a player whose CV features Darlington, Yeovil and Asda.
Burn targeting 2026 World Cup
Now that he has made it into the England squad, Dan Burn has high hopes of being selected for the 2026 World Cup.
He said: “I’m trying to take it camp by camp at the minute. I just want to make a big impression and try and make the next camp.
“But obviously it’s every kid’s dream to play in a World Cup or even to play for your country, so to know I’ve got that opportunity, if I take it, it’s special.”
Dan Burn felt ‘overlooked’ ahead of England call-up
One of the biggest stories for this England camp is the fate of Newcastle’s Dan Burn.
The 32-year-old central defender helped end the Magpies 70-year wait for a domestic trophy when they defeated Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last Sunday.
On Monday morning he joined up with England for the first time and is on the verge of making his international debut.
“Yeah, I think I have been overlooked, but I understood it,” he revealed after joining up with the group. “What Gareth (Southgate) did to bring England from where it was to competing in finals showed that his method was very good.
“When the new manager came in there was a clean slate, but once you’ve been passed over during so many international breaks, you sort of accept the time has passed, but luckily the new manager has taken a chance on me.
“It’s probably made me very resilient. I don’t think I’ve had a straight-line trajectory in my career, I started really late and it’s been very up and down.
“I feel I’ve been doubted a lot over my career. I doubt many people who watched me play at Darlington would say that I’d be sat here doing a press conference for England.”
Will England’s unbeaten run continue?
England are unbeaten in their last 31 World Cup qualifiers with 23 wis and eight draws during that run.
It is the longest ongoing run of any European nation.
Only once have the Three Lions lost their first qualifier of a campaign (13 wins, three draws).
It was a 1-0 defeat to Germany in October 2000 in their final game at the old Wembley.
Why Thomas Tuchel looking to the past with his first England squad is a logical decision
The wildcard picks are curious rather than exciting, with 32-year-old Dan Burn called up. Tuchel showed the charisma that should characterise his time in charge by saying he was surprised Burn had never been capped, and joking: “He is such a tall guy, but obviously it is easy to overlook him.”
A tough task for Albania
Albania have only scored one goal in six meetings with England.
Altin Rraklli struck in a 3-1 defeat in March 2001.
It is their lowest goals-per-game rate (0.17) against any nation they’ve faced three or more times.
With England’s style of play under Tuchel as of yet unknown there may be a chance for Albania to double that tally tonight though it looks like a tough task.
A great opponent for Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel could hardly have asked for a better opponent to begin his time as England boss.
The Three Lions have won all six of their matches against Albania and should be on course to make it seven wins in a row.
The only have a better 100 per cent win ratio against Luxembourg (9/9), San Marino (8/8) and Malta (7/7).
Pickford on Henderson’s return
“I’ve known him since the Sunderland days and his desire to want to win and what he has won and achieved is driven by himself,” Jordan Pickford said when asked about Jordan Henderson’s return to the England set-up.
“He’s a winner and he’s a big leader. I think bringing Hendo back in is great for the squad. He was vice-captain for a number of years, didn’t come to the last Euros.
“For me having leaders in your group, if you look at the last four majors (tournaments) the teams that have won have all had that experience in their side whether they have played or haven’t played.
“I think it’s a great move for us because of what he has done and how he is still driven. Whether he plays or not he will drive the sessions with the lads and he’s a great guy as well.”
Henderson a ‘winner’ says Jordan Pickford
Henderson’s inclusion in Tuchel’s squad for forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia was met with surprise as the 34-year-old has not played for his country since November 2023 and his form for Ajax this season has been criticised.
But Tuchel brought him back for his leadership in the group and Pickford said his former Sunderland team-mate is “great for the dressing room”
Jordan Henderson’s shock recall
When the England squad for this international break was announced there were a couple of surprise inclusions.
The most shocking was the return of Jordan Henderson at 34-years-old.
“He embodies everything,” said Thomas Tuchel when asked about Henderson’s return.
“He’s a serial winner, his personality, character. He is the glue in every team where he played, and he will be the glue that makes things special.
“So, I’m convinced and when the teacher is convinced normally in school the class gets better.
“If the teacher is convinced about the quality of the class, the character of the class, it’s better than the other way around.”
