England are in a unique position heading into the November international break.

A period of uncertainty was ushered in after Euro 2024 when Gareth Southgate announced his departure following the defeat to Spain in the final.

Under-21s boss Lee Carsley was handed the reigns during the interim as officials at the Football Association weighed up their options. There were 92 days between Southgate’s departure and the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as his successor, but the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss won’t be in the dugout when the Three Lions continue their Nations League campaign this month.

Tuchel was named as Southgate’s successor in October after quickly agreeing a deal with FA, signing an 18-month contract which will begin in January 2025 and run until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

The conditions of his deal meant an interim manager was required to take charge of this month’s clashes with Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League. Carsley had already been named as the gap-filler after Southgate left, having impressed in his work with England’s Under-21s.

A pair of 2-0 victories over Ireland and Finland in September seemed to put the former Everton midfielder firmly in the mix for the senior job on a full-time basis. However, he would hint he was happy to be returning to the U21s after a muddled defeat to Greece last month, during which he confounded fans by playing without a striker with Harry Kane injured, despite having both Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke available.

That defeat and other factors ruled Carsley out of the mix and Tuchel quickly became the FA’s desired appointment.

The 2026 World Cup is roughly a year and a half away and hopes are high for England once again, having lost consecutive finals at the Euros. They were eliminated from FIFA’s last global showpiece by France in Qatar, but Tuchel’s arrival has fuelled hopes that the Three Lions can finally put it all together at a major tournament and claim a first piece of major men’s silverware since 1966.

It’s not much time for Tuchel to implement his philosophy and he won’t begin that process until his first international camp in March, though he will have started his role a few months prior.

Right now, England’s opponents in March are unknown. If they are unable to secure top spot in their Nations League group, they will have to contest a promotion play-off, but if not then Tuchel’s first games will be World Cup qualifiers. The draw will be conducted next month.

Carsley confirmed his final squad in charge last week, with heavy hitters like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka all included. There were also a few surprises in the first draft, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Lewis Hall now in with a chance of making their England debuts.

However, a whopping eight players then withdrew from contention due to injuries. Saka, Declan Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Levi Colwill and Aaron Ramsdale have all had to stay with their clubs to recover. Premier League stars Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Tino Livramento and Jarell Quansah have all been called up, as has Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford.

The absences of Harry Maguire and John Stones in defence means there’s a chance for other centre-backs to stake their claims. Marc Guehi was rock solid in the summer and could be partnered by Ezri Konsa, Harwood-Bellis or Quansah against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Curtis Jones has been in previous camps and will be desperate to finally make his national team debut, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher and Angel Gomes could all boost their standings with Tuchel with good performances.

Such is the strength in depth England have in a number of positions, a raft of talented players were left out of the latest squad and will have to impress Tuchel in club fixtures over the coming months. The likes of Marcus Rashford and James Maddison may consider themselves hard done by not to have been selected by Carsley this month.

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