Coach Thomas Tuchel is ready to rotate the squad to face Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. The new England "captain" wants to deal with fatigue and make the most of his limited opportunities with the players.
Tuchel made his "Three Lions" debut with a 2-0 victory over Albania at Wembley. New signing Myles Lewis-Skelly shone with the opening goal and the best performance in the match in his first debut for the England team.
England's all-time top scorer, Harry Kane, completed the 2-0 victory. The "Three Lions" have had a smooth start to the 2026 World Cup and their next opponent is only Latvia, the 140th ranked team in the world.
Anthony Gordon, who came off the bench against Albania, is a big doubt due to a hip problem. The Newcastle player will be re-examined for injury.
When asked if he was considering rotating the squad for the match against Latvia, Tuchel replied: "Yes. I think we have taken some heavy steps.
I felt we were a bit tired, so of course we will take this opportunity to see who could play. We have some good players on the bench, who have come on today or even are not playing. So we have a lot of options."
Tuchel has a lot to reflect on after the start which was considered favorable. The German tactician hopes for more when mentioning the problems that need to be solved. This includes giving wingers a chance.
Marcus Rashford made his first appearance for England since March last year. Meanwhile, Phil Foden did not "have the impact" that Tuchel wanted. The Manchester City player rarely brings impressive form in club jersey to the national team. And since the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, Foden has also shown signs of decline.
Tuchel said about Foden's seemingly lack of confidence in the England team: "We will encourage him to do what he does best - get past the defenders, dribble. We let him play on the right wing. I think both of our wingers have not made the desired impact, as they often do at club.
They have practiced very well, they are decisive in the training process. That is also the reason why they deserved to play. They played very well in their final weeks at their club. We will continue to encourage and ensure that a structure is created so that they can reach their full potential".
England's next match against Latvia will take place at 2:45 am on March 25 (Vietnam time).
