THOMAS TUCHEL didn’t hold back in his assessment of Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden’s performances during his first game in charge of England.
New boss Tuchel got off to a winning start at Wembley, guiding the Three Lions to a 2-0 victory over Albania, but he still felt there was plenty to work on.
The German manager put his faith in Marcus Rashford by handing the forward a first England start since November 2023, following his return to form on loan at Aston Villa.
While Phil Foden was also given the nod from the off despite struggling for Man City this season and failing to make any tangible impact for England at Euro 2024.
Those decisions didn’t pay off, with both Rashford and Foden replaced in the 74th minute by Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon.
And Tuchel gave his brutally honest thoughts on why it didn’t work with the pair starting on the wings.
He said: “I think both of our wingers who started [Foden and Rashford] were not as impactful as they normally can be, or as they normally are in club football.
“At the moment, I’m not too sure why we struggled to bring the ball to them quicker and to bring the ball in more open positions to them. I need to review the match.
“I’m not so sure why it took us so long. I think we lacked a little bit runs off the ball. So it was a bit too much passing and not enough dribbling.
“Not enough carrying the ball and driving with the ball. Not aggressive enough towards goal.
“They trained very well, they were very decisive in training – that’s why I think they deserved [to start]. They were also very good in the last weeks for their clubs.
“We will keep on encouraging them and make sure to create a structure for them that they can show their potential in.”
He added: “We hope for more impact in these positions. More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box.
“In general that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be.”
Rashford has managed four assists in nine appearances for Villa since joining on loan from Man Utd in January.
While Foden has scored 10 goals and registered six assists in 38 appearances for Man City this term.
England ratings vs Albania as Lewis-Skelly enjoys dream debut but Tuchel fails to solve Foden issue
By Tom Barclay
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY made history and Harry Kane extended his own record-breaking as England sunk Albania in Thomas Tuchel’s first game.
Lewis-Skelly became the youngest player to score on his Three Lions debut and top goal-getter Kane notched his 70th international strike as Tuchel began his World Cup qualifying campaign with a modest 2-0 win.
New boy Dan Burn partnered Ezri Konsa in central defence at Wembley, while Marcus Rashford and Curtis Jones were also handed starts.
Meanwhile, Tuchel wrestled with the same issue faced by predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate – deciding where to fit in Phil Foden.
Left-back Lewis-Skelly, 18, slotted home on 20 minutes following a delightful turn and even better pass from Jude Bellingham.
But England stuttered after the break – until skipper Kane classily took down a Declan Rice pass and curved home the clincher.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated the Three Lions in German manager Tuchel’s opening match…
Tuchel has strong opinions on what else his team can do to improve going forward.
“We weren’t disciplined in the structure”, he said. “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.
“I had the feeling there was more frustration in the second half, we couldn’t play in our structure and it became more complicated. We need to play through people and find a better rhythm.
“We’ll get better. We’ll understand better and I’ll understand the players better, to find more aggressive movements.”
It was debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly who opened the scoring for Tuchel’s reign, becoming England’s youngest ever debut goalscorer at 18 years and 176 days.
While Harry Kane typically popped up with a goal to seal the deal on a 2-0 victory for the Three Lions.
Tuchel will now look ahead to Monday’s clash with Andorra, with Wembley playing host to England’s second World Cup qualifier in the space of four days.
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