London, England – England head coach Thomas Tuchel don drop Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah, and Aaron Ramsdale for him matchday squad for the World Cup qualifier wey go happen on Friday.
Gibbs-White, wey be Nottingham Forest midfielder, no dey part of Tuchel’s original squad but he enter after Chelsea’s Cole Palmer pull out. UEFA rules say manager fit select only 23 players for one match.
Tuchel select 26 players for dem games against Albania and Latvia, meaning he go need cut three for each game. Gibbs-White, Liverpool defender Quansah, and Southampton goalkeeper Ramsdale na di three players wey miss out as Tuchel dey prepare for im first match in charge.
Harry Kane go captain di side, while Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice dey expect to start for midfield. Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers, and Anthony Gordon dey also ready to join Kane for attack.
One key area to watch for on Friday na di formation wey Tuchel go choose. According to sources, di team don spend most of di week dey train with back four, dis fit mean sey England dey change strategy as dem prepare for di game against Albania.
Tuchel sabi use back three during im time for Chelsea, but e look like say dis week training fit show sey he wan go with back four on Friday. Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, wey shine during Euro 2024, go expect to sit down for bench.
Kyle Walker, wey dey close to 100 caps for im country, anticipate to return to di starting XI over Tino Livramento and Reece James after Alexander-Arnold pull out due to injury.
For Tuchel’s assessment of England under di former coach Gareth Southgate, e mention sey dem lack identity and hunger to win. “Di opponents go suppose feel say dis go be hard match when dem see our team,” Tuchel talk. “We go show sey we dey united and ready to fight for each other.”
As England enter di World Cup qualification phase, dem dey ranked No. 4 by FIFA. Dem dey grouped with Albania, Andorra, Latvia, and Serbia. Di winner of di group go secure automatic qualification to di 2026 World Cup, while di second place go need go through extra qualifiers.
If England fall to Albania, Tuchel go become di second permanent coach to lose im first game, but di last 10 permanent coaches for di team don win dia first matches since Graham Taylor in 1990.
