THOMAS TUCHEL COMPILES ENGLAND’S TOP 50 PLAYERS – HERE IS OUR LIST
Thomas Tuchel has compiled his England “top 50” during a busy first seven weeks as national team head coach.
Since starting his role on January 1, Tuchel has been working to build up an overview of those he believes are among England’s best players, a list which is estimated to run to around 50, ahead of naming his first squad in March.
That has involved attending more than 20 live games in England, Spain, Italy and his home country of Germany, talking to players in person and on video calls, spending time at St George’s Park during six of the past seven weeks and using the former manager Gareth Southgate’s secret weapon – “Helix”.
Tuchel is at England’s training base this week as he prepares for his first games in charge – the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley next month. The only week he did not visit St George’s Park since officially starting as head coach at the turn of the year, the 51-year-old spent time in London.
Those close to him say the German’s priority has been to build up a broad overview of the country’s best players. As well as attending Premier League games, that has involved attending matches in Germany, where captain Harry Kane plays, Italy, to see the likes of Kyle Walker and Fikayo Tomori, and Spain, where Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher play.
Tuchel has spoken to some of his players in person, some – such as Chelsea’s Noni Madueke – on the telephone and others, including Saudi Arabia-based Ivan Toney, on video calls.
When Tuchel has not been able to watch a game in person, he has been able to use the Football Association’s Helix software that was a key ingredient to Southgate’s planning when he was in charge of England.
All of the FA’s England coaches are provided with Helix, which allows users to watch any game in the world, even if it is not covered by television. The game is viewed on a widescreen that shows the whole of the pitch. It is as if Tuchel or any other FA coach are there in the stadium. They get a tactical view, not a standard TV view, and the system is quick, with no commentary.
Southgate used Helix to track the progress of midfielder Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, and means Tuchel can keep up to date on all the players he cannot see himself each week.
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly is thought to be among the top 50, as Tuchel seeks a solution to the nation’s shortage of left-backs.
Our prediction for Tuchel’s ‘top 50’
Forwards
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, on loan from Manchester United)
Noni Madueke (Chelsea)
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest)
Liam Delap (Ipswich Town)
Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Curtis Jones (Liverpool)
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid)
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur)
Angel Gomes (Lille)
Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa)
Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders*
John Stones (Manchester City)
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Kyle Walker (AC Milan, on loan from Manchester City)
Levi Colwill (Chelsea)
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
Lewis Hall (Newcastle United)
Rico Lewis (Manchester City)
Tino Livramento (Newcastle United)
Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)
Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)
Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Reece James (Chelsea)
Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
Goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton)
James Trafford (Burnley)
*Ben White is not currently included as he made himself unavailable for selection under Gareth Southgate.
2025-02-18T12:19:26Z