Our experts pick their England team to face Albania

Anthony Gordon, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jude Bellingham share a light moment during England training session at St George's Park on March 18, 2025 — Anthony Gordon, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jude Bellingham all feature strongly in our experts’ starting XI - Getty Images/Eddie Keogh

England manager Thomas Tuchel raised plenty of eyebrows with his first squad selection for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. Will the German spring more surprises when he takes charge of his first match at Wembley against Albania on Friday? Here Telegraph Sport’s football experts pick the starting XI they believe can get Tuchel’s tenure off to a flying start...

Central midfield and left-back remain a problem for England. With this squad I would give 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly a go although I am tempted to select Tino Livramento. It was a mistake not to include Adam Wharton in the squad so, probably, Jude Bellingham has to drop deeper, with Morgan Gibbs-White in the No 10 role. It is a choice between Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers on the left. Maybe Gordon edges it.

This should be the kind of home qualifier against solid European opponents – albeit not top tier – that gives England the chance to play an attacking side. International football is about momentum and confidence. An international side can change personnel squad by squad a lot more dramatically than a club can, and this is Tuchel’s chance to show that he can play attractive football. He may decide to go a different way come the tournament, but qualifiers at home should be a chance to showcase in-form talent. A promotion for Adam Wharton from the Under 21s to play midfield and Tino Livramento at right back.

Tuchel does not need to worry about keeping people happy or doing what the fans want. He took Chelsea to the Champions League and every domestic cup final they entered under him playing this way. He is a hired gun, here to win the World Cup, so sod the sofa critics and the Total Football mob. Let’s just do whatever it takes to get the job done. It might not be popular, it might not be pretty, but it can be very effective – as he has proved in the past.

Adam Wharton (right) and Phil Foden train at St George's Park — Adam Wharton (right) trained with the senior squad but was not included in Thomas Tuchel’s original squad

I would ask Lee Carsley for a favour and keep Wharton in the senior squad after his training sessions earlier in the week. One of Tuchel’s issues will be controlling the midfield against top-level opposition and while it will not matter against Albania and Latvia, he has to start working immediately on his system for next year. Declan Rice has been playing further forward this season, Bellingham will be needed in the No10 role – so it needs a player like Wharton to hold the central area of the pitch.

Strange squad. The make-up of it is a little hard to fathom. Tuchel may also go with a back three, which does not seem to play to England’s strengths particularly. England have to strive for real balance, which was not the case en route to the Euro 2024 final. It would be good to see a couple of the younger full-backs given a go and some of the bigger names who are having bad seasons sit out. Wharton trained with the seniors this week and it is a shame he is not in the squad.

England's Dan Burn during a press conference at St George's Park on March 18 — A first England appearannce would cap a whirlwind last week for Newcastle’s Carabao Cup hero Dan Burn - Getty Images/Carl Recine

Basically my only thought is that the England team must include Dan Burn in the starting XI. At the age of 32, coming off the greatest week of his career, there is no point picking him if you are not going to play him. Elsewhere, I would like to see Jarrod Bowen starting on the left as he has not really had a chance to shine when Bukayo Saka is available. He may have been initially left out of the squad but let us see what Gibbs-White can do too.

England should be able to qualify for the World Cup with an Under-21 team, but Tuchel ought to take a closer look at his left-field choices, otherwise why pick them? Let Newcastle hero Burn surf the crest of his wave with his first cap. Elsewhere, Bellingham will serve England better in a deeper midfield role, and Bowen deserves a chance to succeed where higher-profile attackers have disappointed.

Tuchel has always liked to play 4-2-3-1 and it should be a formation which brings the best out of this group of players. I would play Tino Livramento as a left-back in this game over Lewis-Skelly and push Bellingham back a little deeper to allow the attacking players more freedom. On current form, Gibbs-White has to start. Let’s face it, though, England will win the two games and Tuchel will learn very little on the field. It is the work at St George’s Park that will be most beneficial for the new manager.

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