The Three Lions’ victory over Albania at Wembley Stadium on Friday night marked the beginning of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure as England manager. In England’s first World Cup qualifying match, the 51-year-old granted Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly their debuts and gave Rashford his first start for his nation since 2023.
He would have been itching to win his first game, and he did just that as the Three Lions won 2-0 thanks to a well-taken goal from Harry Kane and a debut goal from Lewis-Skelly.
Nevertheless, England was far from their best even if they earned all three points. Although they didn’t appear to be in danger of giving up, Tuchel’s team had trouble launching an offensive attack, and the German manager wasn’t quite satisfied with what he witnessed.
Following the match against Albania, Thomas Tuchel criticises the England duo, saying they didn’t have the impact he had hoped for.
Given England’s wealth of attacking talent, Tuchel chose to position Harry Kane alongside Rashford and Phil Foden in wide positions. However, both players were replaced in the second half after failing to demonstrate their abilities.
In his post-match interview, Tuchel wasn’t afraid to criticise the pair, stating that they didn’t have the impact he had anticipated in his debut. According to the Guardian, he stated:
“We anticipate greater influence in these roles. More aggressive runs in the direction of the box and more dribbling. Generally speaking, that was absent. The small runs behind the queue provide the opportunities. They lacked the decisiveness they are capable of.
“We will support Foden in doing what he does best, which is to attack defenders and dribble. Neither of our starting wingers had the same impact as they can in club football. Why we had trouble getting the ball to them swiftly is beyond me.
We didn’t have enough runs off the ball. There was a touch too much passing, not enough dribbling, and not enough aggression in the direction of the goal. They have excellent training skills and made quick decisions. They were excellent with their clubs in the final weeks, which is why I also believe they deserved to start. We will continue to support them.
"Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be."
Thomas Tuchel on Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford's performance against Albania tonight đź“Š pic.twitter.com/10CammNhpr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 21, 2025
Tuchel also shared his disappointment in his side’s performance as a whole, but vowed that the team will improve. He said, per the Daily Mail:
“We weren’t disciplined in the structure. We tried a little bit too much alone and out of possession. It was a fluid game in the opponents’ half but not in the final 20 metres. We need to take more risk with chipped balls behind the line.
In addition, Tuchel expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s overall performance but promised that they will become better. According to the Daily Mail, he stated:
“We lacked discipline inside the organisation. We went a bit too far while we were by ourselves and without possession. In the opposition’s half, the game flowed well, but not in the last 20 meters. With chipped balls behind the queue, we must be more daring.
Thomas Tuchel Was Associated
‘Harsh’ Remarks About Gareth Southgate Draw Criticism from Roy Keane Against Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel’s comments prior to his first stint as England’s manager did not impress Roy Keane.
“I thought the second half was more frustrating because we were unable to play within our structure and things got more tricky. We must discover a better beat and play through others. We’ll recover. In order to identify more aggressive movements, we’ll both have a greater understanding of the players.
When England hosts Latvia at Wembley Stadium on Monday, they will resume their playing schedule. It’s unclear if Rashford and Foden will continue to be in the starting lineup.
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