Football’s memory is short, particularly when it comes to national sides. The most successful resemble club teams in that they have a core of players and a clearly defined style of play. There’s always an in-form player around whom a clamour develops, but continuity is just as important, perhaps even more so, in the international game. But next week inevitably represents a new start as Thomas Tuchel picks his first England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia later in the month.
All managers make some slightly surprising selections to start with – Sven-Göran Eriksson, for instance, began with a 3-0 friendly win against Spain in which Chris Powell, Gavin McCann and Michael Ball all played a half – but this should give at least some indication of how Tuchel plans to set about trying to win the 2026 World Cup.
