First game as a national coach
Thomas Tuchel with squad surprise
Updated on 14.03.2025 – 11:00 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Thomas Tuchel is about his first game as England’s national coach. He has a surprise ready for the squadring.
The time has come: In a week, a German will be on the sidelines for the first time in history as a coach of the English national team. Thomas Tuchel will celebrate his premiere against Albania next Friday in the first game of qualification (8:45 p.m. in the live ticker at T-Online) for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico 2026. And Tuchel has a small squad surprise in a petto.
The ex-Bayern coach brought the last sorted out Marcus Rashford back to the national team. Rashord is considered a fallen star in England and was deleted from the European Championship squad last year.
He played his last international match a year ago in March 2024 (0-1 against Brazil). In winter, after some back and forth, he left his youth club Manchester United, where he was sorted out, and switched to league competitor Aston Villa.
Since then he has been able to grow again, made nine competitive games for Villa and scored four goals. Reason enough for Thomas Tuchel to give him a new chance. For Rashfords 60 previous international matches (17 goals), more could now follow.
Tuchel, on the other hand, will do without another star: wing racer Jack Grialish. The 29-year-old is currently on the outside of Manchester City, for the last time on December 21st in the league in City’s starting eleven.
Since then, he has only completed three short missions in the Premier League. A change in the coming summer is considered conceivable in the Geralish case.