Thomas Tuchel’s first England scouting assignment as he watches on this weekend | Football | Sport
Thomas Tuchel will watch Tottenham’s Premier League clash with Newcastle in his first England scouting mission this weekend. The German formally became the new Three Lions boss on January 1 and his full coaching team has now been confirmed.
England stars from Spurs and Newcastle will get the first opportunity to impress Tuchel ahead of his opening World Cup qualifiers in March. James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall will all hope to star in front of the 51-year-old.
Hall was handed his senior club debut by Tuchel at Chelsea and will want to be in international contention after making his England bow in November.
Tuchel, who is also expected to attend Liverpool vs Manchester United on Sunday, will continue to cast his eye over a range of players ahead of naming his first England squad in March. His first fixtures come against Albania and Latvia on March 21 and 24, respectively.
It has already been confirmed that Tuchel will be accompanied by assistant Anthony Barry. Former Chelsea star Henrique Hilario will join as a goalkeeper coach after a spell on the staff at Stamford Bridge. Performance coach Nicolas Mayer will also assist the new England chief.
James Melbourne has quit Chelsea as head of performance analysis after 20 years to take on a similar role in Tuchel’s coaching team.
Tuchel’s ambition is to land England’s first World Cup trophy in 60 years. He said at a press conference in November: “We speak it out now very clearly why we are here and what we want to achieve. We are not shy of it. We are absolutely open about it.
“It does not help the more often we speak about it, but it should be out there and then we can set the standards, values and principles, because then we have to live up to them for 18 months.
“Let’s judge it when we have done it. If we decide it was a failure, then we will not continue. If we decide it was not a failure, then we will continue. No one can predict the future. It feels absolutely right for me to do so; it feels clear and easy for me to explain. When it’s easy to explain, it’s normally good.”
England face Albania, Latvia, Serbia and Andorra in their World Cup qualifying group. The tournament is being held in North America in the summer of 2026.
