England head coach Thomas Tuchel oversaw his first training session today after welcoming his squad to St. George’s Park at the start of the week. The new boss is preparing his players for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.

An open training session allowed the media to get a glimpse of Tuchel and his staff in action. Here are five things Express Sport took away from the session…

Three stars promoted

Tuchel’s squad of 26 players were joined by three stars from the Under-21s. It is common practice for the most senior age group to provide additional numbers to the England squad for training when needed and it presents an opportunity for young players to impress.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Adam Wharton and Liam Delap, who were called up by the U21s for the international break, all joined in on the session. Wharton and Delap, in particular, may feel they deserved to be in Tuchel’s first squad.

Cole Palmer injury update

The Football Association have confirmed that Cole Palmer remains with Chelsea. The midfielder suffered a muscular injury during training last week and missed the Blues’ 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on Sunday. He is undergoing further assessment with Chelsea’s medical team and it seems unlikely that he will play in England’s two fixtures.

Morgan Gibbs-White has been called up having initially missed out on a place in the squad. The Nottingham Forest star revealed that he received a call from Tuchel on Sunday afternoon.

New drills with strict punishment

Players were treated to new drills that were not seen during the Gareth Southgate era. The first involved players splitting into groups, standing in a circle holding hands, and attempting to keep the ball in the air while moving from one area of the pitch to another.

The initial attempt saw players limited to only three touches before the limit was reduced to just one touch. The losing teams were forced to perform press-ups but seemed to take the strict punishment well.

Relaxed vibe

Tuchel will have been well aware that the cameras were on him for much of the session. However, it was notable that he seemed naturally relaxed and at ease among the squad. He gave a short talk at the start of the session before sharing a joke with a couple of players as they broke away for a short jog.

For the rest of the session, Tuchel spoke very little and merely observed, breaking away on a couple of occasions to speak with assistant Anthony Barry. Performance coach Nicolas Mayer did most of the talking.

Players seemed happy and were clearly keen to reunite with their international team-mates. This was their first gathering as a squad since November.

Possible starting 11 hint

It seems unlikely that Tuchel would have given away his starting 11 for Friday’s clash with Albania but it was notable that 11 players seemed to be wearing bibs. There were 10 in orange: Jarrod Bowen, Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Marcus Rashford, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento, Harwood-Bellis, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham. Wharton wore yellow.

The 10 players orange, with the addition of a goalkeeper, roughly make up a coherent team, but it was perhaps for a training match later on.

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) have taken legal action against tennis’ governing bodies, including the ATP and WTA, accusing them of ‘systemic abuse and corruption’ in what could prove to be a historic moment for the sport. The PTPA, which was founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2019, launched a series of astonishing attacks on the quartet of organisations that play a key role in bringing professional game to the global stage.

They have filed a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which cites their negligence in protecting players and even goes as far as accusing them of ‘systemic abuse’. A PTPA statement released on Tuesday read: “Following years of good-faith efforts to reform professional tennis, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has taken decisive legal action.

“Today, the PTPA, alongside over a dozen professional tennis players, and on behalf of the entire player population, and renowned international law firm and historical player advocates Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP initiated a series of legal actions in the U.S., UK, and EU against the sport’s governing bodies—the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

“The lawsuits expose systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare that have persisted for decades.”

The ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA have collectively been accused of operating together and implementing ‘draconian, anticompetitive restraints and abusive practices’. The list of allegations relates to eight sub-sections, which are: collusion to reduce competition, fixing prize money, suppressing player earnings, ranking points mandates, forcing an unsustainable schedule, disregard for players, exploiting players financially and violating privacy rights.

The PTPA claim to have met with over 250 professionals – including players among the top 20 in the rankings of the ATP and WTA Tours – to gauge their views. They claim there was an ‘overwhelming’ reaction that ‘change is needed’, with Pospisil leading the fight on their behalf.

“This is not just about money, it’s about fairness, safety, and basic human dignity,” said Pospisil. “I’m one of the more fortunate players and I’ve still had to sleep in my car when traveling to matches early on in my career- imagine an NFL player being told that he had to sleep in his car at an away game. It’s absurd and would never happen, obviously.

“No other major sport treats its athletes this way. The governing bodies force us into unfair contracts, impose inhumane schedules, and punish us for speaking out. The legal actions taken today are about fixing tennis for today’s players and future generations.

“It’s time for accountability, real reform, and a system that protects and empowers players. All stakeholders deserve a sport that operates with fairness and integrity.”

Sorana Cirstea, the former world No. 21 now ranked 111th, claims the players on the WTA Tour have been left with no choice but to pursue legal action to bring about major reforms in the tennis game. “Players don’t have the luxury of waiting indefinitely for meaningful change. Despite repeatedly voicing concerns and speaking up, we have been met with empty promises,” she said.

“The current conditions – demanding schedules, financial uncertainty, and inadequate support – are unsustainable. Legal action is not a first choice, but at this stage, it is necessary to force accountability and ensure long-overdue improvements. Players deserve better and the future generations deserve better. We won’t give up until real change happens!”

Ahmed Nassar, the PTPA’s executive director, claimed tennis is ‘broken’ as he described the ‘systemic failures’ by the bodies in charge of tennis, labelling the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA a ‘cartel’.

“Tennis is broken. Behind the glamorous veneer that the Defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardises their health and safety,” he said.

“We have exhausted all options for reform through dialogue, and the governing bodies have left us no choice but to seek accountability through the courts. Fixing these systemic failures isn’t about disrupting tennis – it’s about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come.

The ITF declined to comment when approached by Express Sport, while the ATP and WTA are yet to respond.

A top-flight club in Bulgaria have apologised for holding a minute’s silence for a former player they thought had died, only to discover that he was still alive. Arda Kardzhali, who are currently fifth in the Bulgarian First League, mourned the apparent death of Petko Ganchev before Sunday’s game against Levski Sofia.

Players from both teams lined up around the centre circle and stood with their heads bowed in memory of Ganchev, who played for Arda between 2020 and 2022. It did not take long for the club to acknowledge their mistake, confirming at half-time that Ganchev was indeed still alive. They sent an email to broadcasters covering the match, explaining they had received ‘incorrect information’ and apologising for any distress caused.

A club statement read: “The management of PFC Arda would like to express its deepest apologies to the team’s former footballer, Petko Ganchev, and his loved ones, after the club received incorrect information regarding his death. We wish Petko Ganchev many years of health and to enjoy Arda’s successes.”

The two sides went on to play out a 1-1 draw, with the result keeping Arda in with a chance of of qualifying for European football next season. Levski, meanwhile, remain in second place but are unlikely to win the title as they trail leaders Ludogorets by 12 points.

The visitors took an early lead when Marin Petkov broke the deadlock after 22 minutes, his attempted cross sailing past everyone and nestling in the bottom corner. After the break, Arda were awarded a penalty with the ball striking the hand of a Levski defender.

The decision was only confirmed after a lengthy VAR review, with Tonislav Yordanov stepping up to take it. However, he got his bearings all wrong and fired his spot-kick well over the crossbar, ensuring Levski’s lead remained intact.

With less than 20 minutes remaining, a second booking for Jawad El-Jemili saw Levski reduced to 10 men for the remainder of the contest. Arda began to pile on the pressure and were rewarded for their persistence thanks to Stanislav Ivanov’s equaliser in the 82nd minute.

The 25-year-old latched onto a long pass and expertly rounded the goalkeeper with his first touch before sliding the ball into an empty net. Ivanov refused to celebrate his goal, having progressed through the Levski academy before leaving the club in 2021.