Category: Football

“It is good, because I learn about my team and my team learn about me,” said Thomas Tuchel after his England reign started with routine World Cup qualifying wins over Albania and Latvia.

“We will get there.”

Some players played their way into Tuchel’s thinking, while some may have played their way out of the team.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Reece James and Eberechi Eze all got their first England goals – while Harry Kane netted in both games.

Lewis-Skelly and James both staked their claims at full-back – but things are less clear at centre-back or on the wings.

Albania and Latvia were limited opponents who only briefly threatened to score at Wembley though.

Former England goalkeeper and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Rob Green said: “Tuchel on reflection will turn around and say ‘how much could I expect from these two games?’

“It’s been the bare minimum. Still a lot of question marks.”

Tuchel added to the BBC: “These qualifiers bring a bit of tension, what happens when the going gets tough, how will the players react? It is important to get better.

“I will always fight for them because they have been great in training. Some players played out of position. Taking this into account, overall I am very positive.”

BBC Sport has a look at who the winners and losers of this England campwere

James was making his first England start since September 2022 against Latvia – and took his chance in style.

The 25-year-old – who won the Champions League with Tuchel at Chelsea – has seen his career plagued by injury but is back fit right now.

“Reece’s quality is at the highest level,” said Tuchel afterwards. “We were in close contact in the last weeks. We knew he was in good shape and a good space mentally. That’s what he proved. He was very positive throughout the camp.”

AC Milan’s Kyle Walker, 34, started the first game against Albania – and was solid – with James taking the right-back spot three days later.

A sensational 25-yard effort into the top corner made him England’s first defender to score a free-kick at Wembley since Stuart Pearce in 1992.

“I love Reece James,” said BBC pundit Green. “He’s a brilliant footballer. There are question marks over both right-backs.

“Where will Walker be in a year’s time? What stage in his career, what shape are we looking at going into the World Cup?

“Nobody doubts James’ quality, mentality, intelligence. He’s a fit guy and his body lets him down now and again.

“If you could take Walker’s fitness and put it into James’ body you’ve got someone who can be there at end of the World Cup who can match anyone in the world.”

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who missed these games through injury, will be a strong contender for that spot when he returns.

Teenage Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, who scored on his international debut on Friday, was lively again – and won the free-kick which James scored from.

The 18-year-old, as he does at club level, often stepped into a central midfield role alongside Gunners team-mate Declan Rice.

“He showed in patches what he can do going forward with runs in behind, what he can do controlling in midfield,” said Green. “Tonight was not the headline grabbing performance of Friday but really a competent and versatile performance.

“[Newcastle’s] Lewis Hall will have to stake a strong case when he comes back.”

‘They didn’t do themselves any harm’ – who impressed at centre-back?

Ezri Konsa had two solid games at centre-back, and was unlucky not to score, outperforming those alongside him – Dan Burn and then Marc Guehi.

Debutant Burn, 32, looked comfortable in the first half but was caught out a couple of times in the second half against Albania – and Guehi was involved in both of Latvia’s first-half chances.

“Those sort of games will give Konsa confidence. Two more games under the belt – for momentum, feeling at home in the squad, intangible stuff for an international footballer,” said Green.

“While they [Burn and Guehi] didn’t look as assured as Konsa, they didn’t do themselves any harm over the two games.”

On Newcastle’s 6ft 7in Burn, who hit the bar against Albania, Green said: “Going into tournament football maybe a big thing is you can throw him on. He’s a different option to when you’re playing against stronger opposition and might go to a back three.

“He can add something to corners, a huge part of England’s success at tournaments.”

‘I don’t think any of them staked a claim’ – wingers fail to shine

Tuchel likes proper wingers who can get down the line and get crosses in. He will not have seen enough in these two games to convince him he has found his man.

The German will be keen to get Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka – who he spoke to after the game – and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer back from injury.

Manchester City’s Phil Foden – who likes to play in the middle – struggled in the system against Albania – and was replaced by West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen for the second game.

Bowen shot off target a couple of times and created a handful of chances on the right, but again did not set the world alight.

Marcus Rashford started on the left side for both games. He put 11 crosses into the box against Latvia, and created six chances – but lost the ball 36 times across both matches – far more than anyone else.

“Marcus again showed the hunger and desire to go again and again,” said Tuchel. “He wasn’t sure to take the dribbling. The most important thing was he showed the hunger and confidence in his ability.

“We maybe lacked a little bit of the support. They switched sides in the second half but it didn’t suit him so well. These are the things we need to learn and take away from these matches. We didn’t play into his hand.”

Eze took his chance when he replaced Bowen just after the hour-mark against Latvia. He cut in from the left before slamming England’s third goal home via a deflection.

“I’m over the moon for him,” said Eze’s Crystal Palace team-mate Guehi. “Every time he’s come on, he’s created things. I’m glad it was on target and they gave it to him [and not as an own goal].”

He was set up by Foden, who came on in his central role he relishes.

“You’re asking for people to stake a claim and I don’t think any of them did in a major sense,” said Green.

“Eze really provided a point of difference as opposed to what was on the pitch.

“Bowen didn’t really get the opportunities out there he’d hope to have. Rashford didn’t have the opportunities to come in on his right foot. Stepping onto his left foot he hasn’t got that quality or confidence.

“It’s a tough one for wingers but you’re expecting it with the shape of Latvia.”

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon would have hoped to start against Latvia, but he was ruled out of the second game through injury.

“Gordon is a big one, he brings something different, the ability to drive forward,” said Green.

In the middle, Harry Kane scored in both games to extend his England record to 71 goals. Having excelled under Tuchel at Bayern Munich together, there are no doubts about his place in the team.

‘You can come back and have another go’ – the central players

Another place where Tuchel tried different things out was through the middle.

Rice, another guarantee on the teamsheet, started both games in his number six role – and set up both of Kane’s goals.

Liverpool’s Curtis Jones started alongside him in the first game but was replaced by Morgan Rogers against Latvia.

Rogers, making his first England start, played further forward, alongside Jude Bellingham – whose assist for Lewis-Skelly in the first game was wonderful.

Villa’s Rogers had his moments against Latvia, with six shots, succeeding with six of his seven dribbles and winning eight of his 12 duels.

He ended up on the right wing after England substitutions – where Tuchel thought he did his best work.

“He did good. I’m happy with him in general,” said Tuchel. “He deserved to start, in a match where we are so dominant it could suit him more to play from the wings. He felt more freedom when we played him there, there was more space.”

Rogers, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live afterwards, said: “Thankfully I got my chance and hopefully I can get many more in the future.

“I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t score. I’m not always going to get it right but if I do the right things then good things will come from that.”

BBC pundit Green added: “Rogers did well in patches. When the opposition were tired he got a little more space.

“Tuchel will look at it and say there’s something there. He’s probably seen enough to say you can come back and have another go. It’s been a positive night for him.”

There had been rumours Tuchel was considering benching him on Friday – but that did not happen in the end.

He only had one save to make across either game – although a mix-up with Guehi did allow Latvia one golden opportunity which they missed.

The 31-year-old won his 75th cap against Latvia.

“As a statement it’s good for Tuchel to say he’s my number one, nip it in the bud,” said Green, who played for England in the 2010 World Cup.

“Pickford doesn’t get injured. He plays every game for Everton and England. As soon as anyone else plays there’s always a question mark maybe he’s not number one. If he does what he does for England I’m OK with it.”

Dean Henderson and James Trafford remained unused substitutes, with Aaron Ramsdale left out of the matchday squad for each one.

Thomas Tuchel wants England’s brave new era to bring thrills and excitement, but he has swiftly discovered that if you have seen one England qualifier you have almost seen them all.

Tuchel has been firing off positive messages since delivering a damning verdict on England’s Euro 2024 campaign under predecessor Gareth Southgate, which he claimed lacked intensity, identity and hunger.

During the routine 3-0 win over a Latvia side ranked 140th in the world, it was clear Tuchel’s intended transformation would not be a quick fix – because this was more of the same laboring old England seen so often under Southgate.

As they have done so many times before, the Three Lions finally overcame gallant but limited opposition after struggling for long periods to make the most of their superiority, too often pedestrian and too often failing to transform good positions into goals.

There was the traditional Wembley backdrop of paper airplanes – with the first hitting the turf after 14 minutes as opposed to 33 against Albania – the Mexican wave and the thousands of empty seats well before the final whistle.

And there were even the old frustrations that have surfaced before in this type of attritional fixture, with Jude Bellingham – who was already on a yellow card – fortunate referee Orel Grinfeld took a lenient view of his reckless second-half challenge on Raivis Jurkovskis.

England got there in the end, as they always do in these qualifiers, with Reece James illuminating his first international start since September 2022 with a superb free-kick seven minutes from half-time to break the deadlock.

Latvia, unsurprisingly, barely left their half after the break, and England put the result beyond doubt with two goals in eight minutes.

Captain Harry Kane scored his 71st goal in 105 international appearances with a simple tap-in after 68 minutes and substitute Eberechi Eze added the hosts’ third with a deflected shot.

It’s all very routine. All very England when it comes to qualifiers – as it should be against a country ranked between Burundi and the Dominican Republic on Fifa’s list.

Thomas Tuchel says England “have to do better” despite his first game as Three Lions boss ending in a 2-0 victory over Albania.

A debut goal for Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly and captain Harry Kane’s 70th strike for the national team ensured they made a winning start to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

It was far from a thrilling England display, although not helped by an Albania side who put 11 men behind the ball for large periods of the Wembley encounter.

“We can do better, we have to do better,” Tuchel told ITV.

“We started well, we had seven or eight minutes with 100% ball possession with a lot of passes and high energy.

“The opponent is hard to break down as they defend in a deep block. In the Euros [last year] they managed to not concede chances.

“Second half, I felt we were too slow and in general not enough runs off the ball to get behind the line.”

Tuchel made a number of bold decisions for his first match in charge, including handing Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle defender Dan Burn their debuts.

The German was rewarded with encouraging displays from both, with Lewis-Skelly providing a neat finish through the legs of the goalkeeper for the 20th-minute opener, before Kane added a 77th-minute second.

“Amazing player,” Tuchel said of the 18-year-old Gunners left-back.

“Amazing personality. He came into camp and showed straight away that it’s normal to fall in love with him.

“It is well deserved.”

‘Our wingers were not as impactful as they can be’

Another surprise decision by Tuchel was to hand Marcus Rashford his first England start in a year.

The Manchester United forward, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, linked up well with Jude Bellingham at times, but also made some poor decisions in the final third.

Manchester City forward Phil Foden, meanwhile, struggled to impose himself as he started on the right of the forward line.

“Both of our wingers that started were not as impactful as they can be or as they are in club football,” added Tuchel.

“At the moment I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them, to bring the ball in more [of an] open position to them, I need to review the match.

“We lacked a bit of runs off the ball, so it was a bit too much passing and not enough dribbling. Not aggressive enough towards goal.

“They were very good in the last weeks in their clubs. We will keep encouraging them and give them a structure so they can show their potential.”

England’s new head coach Thomas Tuchel slid into his technical area almost unnoticed after the deafening fanfare that greeted the start of his reign at Wembley.

He missed fireworks, pyrotechnics, a deafening drum-and-bass track commissioned in his honour by the Football Association entitled “Thomas Tuchel’s Army”, plus a giant banner stretching across one end of the stadium welcoming him to “The Home of Football”.

Tuchel’s own entrance was a low-key affair, setting the tone for a low-key occasion for Gareth Southgate’s successor. The excitement and intensity the German promised will have to wait for another day after this scrappy 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania.

In an unflattering review of England’s Euro 2024 campaign – widely interpreted as criticism of Southgate and the team beaten by Spain in the final – Tuchel claimed it was missing “intensity, clarity, identity, repetition of patterns, expression of players and hunger”.

In this game, at least, there was little to distinguish Tuchel’s England from Southgate’s, his search for thrills thwarted by Albania’s lack of ambition, a reluctance to leave their own half and his own team’s lack of fluency and rhythm.

A win is a win, however, and this is what Tuchel has been appointed to do, in the short-term against Albania and Latvia here on Monday – and in the long-term at next year’s World Cup.

On the pitch? Work to do, but still early days

Tuchel went for a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Manchester City’s Phil Foden on the right and on-loan Aston Villa attacker Marcus Rashford on the left, which did not prove a roaring success.

After the game England’s new boss said “we hope for more impact in these positions” and that “they were not as decisive as they can be”.

But the decision to give Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly a debut was a masterstroke as he became the youngest player to score on his senior England debut, aged 18 years and 176 days.

Dan Burn, another making his first appearance at 32, almost repeated his goalscoring feats for Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool when he headed against the bar in the first half, but looked laboured and vulnerable when Albania substitute Armando Broja ran at him late on.

Tuchel laid down his template by insisting he wants more intensity, more touches in the opponents’ box and more ball recoveries in the opponents’ half. By this measure there is work to do, but this is early days.

England had 34 touches in Albania’s box compared to 44 in interim manager Lee Carsley’s last game against the Republic of Ireland in November, winning back possession in the final third four times as opposed to six, enjoying 74.2% possession against 73.6%.

This should all be placed in the context of an Albanian strategy which effectively consisted of building the lowest of blocks to frustrate England.

It is too early to detect any sort of identity as, in many ways, this was more of the same that went before, but it was easy to detect what Tuchel likes and wants from his body language.

Off the pitch? Calm & measured on uneventful night

In the opening stages, he twice broke into animated applause when England pressurised Albania into errors – the first occasion when they stole possession and on another when intensity forced the visitors to pass the ball into touch.

Tuchel was equally enthusiastic when England pounced to pinch the ball back. This was the intensity he wanted and will expect more of in the future.

It was all accompanied by tic-tac arm-waving, but mostly he was a calm, measured figure, although there was little to get excited about for long spells.

Tuchel was not a permanent presence on the touchline, taking his seat after 14 minutes, remaining there for three minutes, occasionally in discussion with his staff, before returning pitch-side.

He greeted the first goal of his reign, slipped home by Lewis-Skelly from Jude Bellingham’s incisive pass, with a pump of his fist and a big smile – but it was quickly down to business as he delivered some lengthy instructions to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Tuchel also soon became acquainted with one of Wembley’s more recent traditions, the paper aeroplanes that fly during periods of inactivity. The first one landed near him after 33 minutes.

Tuchel has shown he is not too proud to use the physical presence and set-piece prowess he believes bring the strengths of the Premier League to England, selecting the physicality and aerial power of 6ft 7in Burn ahead of the more technically gifted Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who was arguably England’s best performer at the Euros.

When the Three Lions won three successive corners in the first half, a line of players formed – a ploy known variously as “the bus stop” or “the love train” – but there was only one target for Declan Rice’s delivery – the giant figure of Burn.

It was the most obvious of plans, but almost worked as he rose above Albania’s defenders to crash a header against the bar.

Tuchel only lost his composure once, when he berated the officials for not awarding a foul when Rashford was barged to the ground in front of him, but this was an uneventful night and a routine win.

As for the rest? England meet the brief – win

No serious clues were offered about any revolutionary moves Tuchel might have up his sleeve, although he will yearn for a swift return to fitness for Bukayo Saka given Foden’s disappointing performance in the position the Arsenal winger would normally occupy.

One area Tuchel is keen to develop is the “interactions” between England’s players on the field, effectively moments where they encourage each other, showing a bond of togetherness.

When he addressed the players at St George’s Park on Monday, he presented them with data that showed there were 60 such interactions in the first half of the Euros final against Spain in Berlin, but only 35 after half-time when they conceded the goals that saw them slip to a 2-1 defeat.

This was not a night when interactions or high-fives were the order of the day. It was more a simple case of ‘job done’. Although Pickford did celebrate – and at great length with much enthusiasm – when defender Ezri Konsa pulled off a superb covering tackle as Albania’s Jasir Asani raced through with the chance of an unlikely equaliser.

Tuchel’s plain speaking is already a contrast to the measured, almost diplomatic, words of Southgate and he made his feelings clear once more when he said: “We can do better, we have to do better.”

When it was all over, the first three points secured, Tuchel made a swift exit down Wembley’s tunnel, leaving his players to conduct a lap of appreciation – although thousands of fans had drifted away well before the end.

This was not a night that carried the air of a glorious new era, but Tuchel has been brought to England with a simple brief – win.

New England head coach Thomas Tuchel says he is happy with his side’s 2-0 win over Albania in his first game in charge but that they must be “more dangerous”.

READ MORE: Lewis-Skelly scores as England begin Tuchel era with win over Albania