By Derek
Thomas Tuchel has set the tone for England’s autumn with a selection call that leaves no room for comfort. His first squad of the 2025–26 season is leaner, sharper, and built to raise the bar. The headline? Trent Alexander-Arnold is out for now, with Reece James and Tino Livramento taking the right-back slots. It’s a bold move before World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, and it fits Tuchel’s message: places must be earned, not assumed.
The manager talked about creating a different energy when players arrive at St George’s Park. He wants an environment where training bites, standards stick, and reputations don’t guarantee minutes. England sit top of their qualifying group with a four-point cushion, but Tuchel doesn’t want a team that relaxes. He wants one that hunts.
A tighter camp, harder choices
Tuchel has shaved the numbers to make competition genuine. A tighter group means more minutes for fewer players, and nowhere to hide if your level drops. He’s been clear with the squad: form and attitude decide everything. That applies to the old guard as much as the younger faces pressing the door.
The right-back call tells the story. Reece James brings balance when fit—secure in one‑v‑one duels, calm on the ball, and happy to step inside or overlap depending on the game plan. Tino Livramento offers pace, recovery speed, and a fearless streak that Tuchel likes in hostile away games. Alexander-Arnold’s omission isn’t a closing of the book; it’s a reminder the margins are thin. Tuchel admires his talent and personality, but competition is the filter now.
Tuchel has also lit a fire under England’s next wave. Midfielder Harvey Elliott, for example, has been singled out by coaches for a strong start to the season and razor‑sharp training habits. That doesn’t promise starts, but it moves players like him into the conversation. The message is simple: do the work every day and you’re in the mix, no matter your age or club badge.
Inside camp, the rhythm will be familiar but the edge different. Sessions are expected to be shorter, crisper, with strict focus on details that separate tight qualifiers: set‑piece timing, the quality of the first pass after a turnover, how quickly the wide players recover to kill cross angles. Tuchel’s reputation is built on clarity and roles—everyone knows their job, and what gets you picked.
When you strip a squad down, selection choices get louder. That’s the point. If you’re the second choice this month, the staff want you to feel one dominant session away from jumping the queue. If you’re the starter, you know someone is breathing down your neck. That tension—managed well—creates the tempo Tuchel wants.
Selection signals and what they mean for Serbia and Andorra
The September window brings two different problems. Andorra will sit deep and ask England to break a low block without getting bored. Serbia, in Belgrade on September 9, is the opposite: noise, duels, restarts, and moments where you need to absorb pressure without panicking. Tuchel’s picks suggest he’s planning for both profiles within the same group.
Full-back is central to this. Against low blocks, the width must be clean and the timing precise. James can deliver quality from the channel or invert to create an overload in midfield. Livramento’s speed can pull a back five out of shape with early runs from deeper positions. Against Serbia, both need to handle transitions and aerial traffic around the back post. That blend is not accidental.
Across the rest of the pitch, the approach is consistent: balance over headlines. Tuchel likes a midfield that can change gears—press high for five minutes, sit in for the next five, and still keep the ball moving. He’s pushed for players who train with intensity and mirror match demands in midweek. That’s where a slimmer squad helps; the first‑team drills look and feel like the game you’ll play at the weekend.
Set pieces will matter in both fixtures. Serbia lean into restarts; Andorra use them to sneak relief and slow rhythm. Expect England to drill second-phase organization—a Tuchel staple—so the first clearance becomes a platform to attack rather than a reset. On corners, watch the near‑post screens and the third runner arriving late. Those rehearsed details are often the difference when space is tight and nerves are loud.
This selection window also points to how Tuchel will manage minutes. With a four-point cushion, he can rotate smartly without blunting momentum. That doesn’t mean wholesale changes, but it could mean a different full-back or midfielder starting each game to tailor the plan and manage loads. He’s not shy about using the bench early if the first 30 minutes don’t fit the script.
What about Alexander-Arnold? The door isn’t locked. Tuchel’s view is predictable and fair: keep your level high, make your case with performances, and push the training pitch every day. England may yet need his passing range against opponents who sit so deep that only a diagonally threaded ball can split them. For now, Tuchel values defensive security and role flexibility in that channel. It’s a coach’s trade-off, not a verdict on a career.
The staff’s praise for the camp’s younger faces fits the bigger plan. If you want standards to rise, you reward the players who bring edge to training. Elliott is one example; Livramento is another. Pick a few who live at full throttle from Monday to Friday and the rest follow. Veterans respond too. No one wants to be the one jogging when the kid next to you is flying into every drill.
England’s attack, meanwhile, will be judged on patience and variety. Against Andorra, the first cross rarely does it. You need rotations that create a spare man at the top of the box, round-the-corner passes to pull markers a half-step, and cutbacks rather than hopeful clips. Against Serbia, it’s about handling the first tackle and the second ball, then punishing the space that appears when their full-backs step out. Tuchel will expect his forwards to press in short, violent bursts rather than chase shadows. Save the legs for when the counter is really on.
Defensively, the blueprint is straightforward: keep the distances tight, track runners, and don’t give away cheap restarts. Serbia’s crowd can turn simple throw‑ins into events; England need to take the air out of those moments. If the game becomes a grind, Tuchel will lean on cool heads to slow the pace—take an extra touch, recycle, kill the noise.
Zoom out, and this is all about culture. Tuchel wants people who love the work. Short meetings, clear clips, then get it done on the grass. No passengers. A smaller group makes it easier to hold the line because everyone feels seen. If you cut corners, it shows. If you fly in training, it shows even more.
There’s also a hard‑nosed logic to trimming numbers before a flight to Belgrade. You want 20‑odd players who know they might play. It sharpens the focus in match prep and keeps the substitutes locked into the plan. When the bench understands exactly which switch they’re part of—fresh legs to press the left center‑back, or a runner to attack the far post—you get cleaner changes on the hour.
Supporters will have a few tells to watch for in these games:
- Which right‑back starts each match—and whether the full‑back inverts into midfield or stays high and wide.
- How quickly England counter‑press after losing the ball in the final third. The first five seconds will say a lot.
- Set‑piece variety: short corners to move a low block, plus rehearsed deliveries against Serbia’s zonal looks.
- Use of the bench around 60–70 minutes if the game state stalls.
None of this changes the basic math. England are in a strong position, but one bad night can pull a group back together fast. Tuchel’s answer is to keep everyone uncomfortable in the best way. If a place in the starting XI feels fragile, performances usually get sharper. That’s why the camp is smaller. That’s why Alexander-Arnold can be out one month and right back in the next.
For the players, the checklist is clear. Arrive fit. Train like a starter. Nail your role. If you’re a full‑back, it might be how you defend the back post. If you’re a midfielder, it’s your first pass after a regain. If you’re a forward, it’s whether you hit the box when the opposite winger crosses. Those little habits are Tuchel’s measuring sticks.
The timing of this reset is smart. Early in a season, form is volatile but legs are fresh. A manager can test combinations without overloading anyone. If the group leaves September with the cushion intact—or bigger—England can use October and November to layer in a few tactical wrinkles without chasing results. That’s when deeper automation takes hold.
For now, the story is the same across positions: standards are the selection. Players who start the campaign fast and carry that edge into camp will get the nod. Those who don’t will feel the squeeze. It’s ruthless, but it’s also fair. And it might be exactly what this England squad needed heading into a tricky away night in Belgrade and a patience test against Andorra.
Tuchel won’t say it outright, but the subtext is clear. The shirt doesn’t belong to anyone. It belongs to the game plan. Bring what the plan needs, and you play. Fall short, and someone else gets the call.
