England stalwart facing battle to retain Three Lions place under new boss Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has been named as England’s newest manager after Gareth Southgate departed following the Euro 2024 final and will influence the team with his own philosophy

Jordan Pickford will be under pressure to retain his place for the World Cup in 2026 under new boss Thomas Tuchel.

The German coach was appointed as the Three Lions permanent successor to Gareth Southgate and signed an 18-month contract to take his first job in international football. Tuchel returns to management after departing Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

The announcement of Tuchel’s employment comes following a difficult moment for Pickford in an England shirt. The Everton goalkeeper put in an unsure displaying during England’s Nations League defeat to Greece, before watching from the sidelines as Dean Henderson started against Finland, though interim-boss Lee Carsley noted the events were not linked.

Carsley told ITV Sport: “It was a case of getting a look at a few different players and it was always the case that I would have a look at Dean in one of the games.”

Following his error, Pickford came in for criticism with Roy Keane providing a damning assessment. “What’s he doing?” he asked. “Do it quickly. [It’s] brilliant defending, very unlucky by Greece but a lovely message for defenders – never give it up. He chased it and did brilliant. But [it’s] not a good message from Pickford to send. That [sort of mistake] will always be there with Pickford. He’s not going to change now.”

Pickford will hope he can prove more persuasiv of Tuchel, with reports suggesting he will be in a ‘battle’ to retain his No.1 spot, which he has held since the 2018 World Cup. The former Sunderland star has seen little challenge for his position, with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope and Henderson below him in the pecking order.

Tuchel will undoubtedly want to leave his own stamp on the England side. In the German’s first press conference he has revealed the style he plans to implement in a new environment.

“They have to be balanced and our style of play has to bring us results,” he said. “We are playing with players for the best league and the biggest competition in the world. We have a group of young, hungry players. We are desperate to win a title, so we have all the ingredients, so I think we should try to implement this into our style of play.

“I think we should play an attacking style of football and we should try to emphasise a physical side of the game, because this is what English football is all about and this is what excites our supporters, and this is what suits the players.

“I understand clearly that we don’t have a lot of time on the training pitch. Normally, I love the two or three days before a match to prepare and do training sessions, and then you go. We will heavily rely on that because we don’t have much training time, and that’s why it is maybe important to have clear messages and to not overcomplicate – and to find a clear structure where we can demand certain things from the players, and where we can also show their full potential.”

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