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Ecuador’s Noboa faces escalating protests over rise in diesel costs

By in News, World News

Nearly three weeks of striking bus drivers and roadblocks by angry farmers have put Ecuador President Daniel Noboa in one of the tensest moments of his presidency.

The outcry comes in response to the government’s increase in diesel fuel costs, after a subsidy was cut last month.

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With no signs of dialogue after 18 days, one protester has been killed, numerous protesters and authorities injured, and more than 100 people arrested.

The army announced a large deployment to the capital on Thursday, saying it would prevent vandalism and destruction of property. As many as 5,000 troops were being deployed after dozens of protesters had marched at various sites in the city earlier in the day.

Though the demonstrations called for by Ecuador’s largest Indigenous organisation, CONAIE, are supposed to be nationwide, the most acute impact has been in the northern part of the country, especially Imbabura province, where Noboa won in April’s election with 52 percent of the vote.

On one side is “a president who assumes that after winning the elections he has all of the power at his disposal, who has authoritarian tendencies and no disposition for dialogue”, said Farith Simon, a law professor at the Universidad San Francisco in Quito.

On the other side, he said, is “an Indigenous sector that has shown itself to be uncompromising and is looking to co-govern through force”.

Protesters attacked Noboa’s motorcade with rocks on Tuesday, adding to the tension. The administration denounced it as an assassination attempt.

The Indigenous organisation CONAIE, however, rejected that assertion. It insists its protests are peaceful and that it is the government that is responding with force.

What led to the demonstrations?

The protests were organised by CONAIE, an acronym that translates to the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador.

The group mobilised its supporters after Noboa decreed the elimination of a subsidy on diesel on September 12.

Diesel is critical to the agricultural, fishing and transport sectors in Ecuador, where many Indigenous people work. The move raised the cost of a gallon (3.8 litres) of diesel to $2.80 from $1.80, which CONAIE said hit the poor the hardest.

The government tried to calm the backlash by offering some handouts, and unions did not join the demonstrations. The confederation rejected the government’s “gifts” and called for a general strike.

What are the protests like?

The Indigenous confederation is a structured movement that played a central role in violent uprisings in 2019 and 2022 that nearly ousted then-Presidents Lenin Moreno and Guillermo Lasso.

Its methods are not always seen as productive, particularly when protests turn violent.

Daniel Crespo, an international relations professor at the Universidad de los Hemisferios in Quito, said the confederation’s demands to return the fuel subsidy, cut a tax and stop mining are efforts to “impose their political agenda”.

The confederation says it’s just trying to fight for a “decent life” for all Ecuadorians, even if that means opposing Noboa’s economic and social policies.

What are Noboa’s policies?

Noboa is a 37-year-old, politically conservative millionaire heir to a banana fortune. He started his second term in May amid high levels of violence.

One of the steps he has taken is raising the value-added tax rate to 15 percent from 12 percent, arguing that the additional funds are needed to fight crime. He has also fired thousands of government workers and restructured the executive branch.

The president has opted for a heavy-handed approach to making these changes and rejected calls for dialogue. He said, “The law awaits those who choose violence. Those who act like criminals will be treated like criminals.”

What has been the fallout?

A protester died last week, and soldiers were caught on video attacking a man who tried to help him.

The images, along with generally aggressive actions by security forces confronting protesters, have fuelled anger and drawn criticism about excessive use of force from organisations within Ecuador and abroad.

The Attorney General’s Office said it was investigating the protester’s death.

Experts warn that the situation could grow more violent if the protests that have largely been in rural areas arrive in the cities, especially the capital, where frustrated civilians could take to the streets to confront protesters.

Harsh lessons and ‘hurt egos’ for Bellamy’s Wales

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images
Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales at Wembley

World Cup Qualifier: Wales v Belgium

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Monday, 13 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

There are certain words that Craig Bellamy doesn’t like; established football concepts that he simply doesn’t use.

Risk is a “horrid word” according to the Wales head coach, who refused to acknowledge there was any risk in choosing England as friendly opponents.

He is similarly dismissive of traditional tactical terminology. “We don’t play formations, we play shapes,” he says.

And as for friendly matches? “There’s no such thing as friendlies.”

Unfortunately for Bellamy and his players, Thomas Tuchel and England seemed to be of the same opinion at Wembley on Thursday.

They launched into this game with the ferocity of a full-blooded qualifier or major tournament fixture, overwhelming their passive visitors with three goals in the opening 20 minutes.

The primary purpose of this match for Wales was to prepare for Monday’s World Cup qualifier against Belgium. If Bellamy picked England to learn how his players would cope against world-class opposition, he got an emphatic answer at Wembley.

“I’d like our egos to be hurt. I’d like us to be annoyed,” he said. “It’s why I wanted this game. We need to see where we are.

“We can play Lithuania if you want, and that’s no disrespect to them, but then we’d have loads of the ball and then try to break them down.

“It’s where do we want to go? Who do we want to be?

“Today, even now, just fills me with motivation but Monday [is] a different game. Learn from this, [learn that] we don’t want this feeling again. You can use it.

    • 4 hours ago
    • 3 hours ago

What the new, calm Bellamy learned about Wales

Bellamy was on something of a charm offensive when he faced the media before this fixture. There was to be a new and bigger English audience to see what the Welsh public had already witnessed: his evolution from a combustible, confrontational player to a controlled, deep-thinking coach.

This was the sternest examination so far of that new image.

He simmered on the Wembley touchline as he watched his team fold obligingly in the face of torrential English pressure.

Bellamy kept his cool on the surface but did he manage such calm in the changing room too?

“I quite enjoyed half-time,” he said.

“I was like, ‘now we see’. What are we going to do?

“When those moments happen, it shows who you are as a coach. You can come in balling and throwing stuff, but to who? It makes no sense. Me, I’m calm.

“This is a moment we need to relish. It’s not gone well for us, [so] how are we going to do something about it? Now we see who we are. I like those moments.”

Bellamy is clear about how he wants his team to play – pressing high, attacking whenever possible – but acknowledged that, on occasions like this against superior opposition, that will not always be possible.

“I look at England, their physical profile, the speed, the duels. Of course, it helps when you’ve got a lot of players playing in the Champions League, but that’s where you want our players to be,” he said.

“[For] the players, it’s ‘this is where we want to be’. But we also know, we have to be at the top of our game to be able to play against these types of nations.

Belgium on Monday ‘a different game’

Much as Bellamy wanted to oversee a first Wales win at Wembley since 1977, his primary focus has undoubtedly been Monday’s World Cup qualifier at home to Belgium.

Bellamy chose England, and Canada last month, as friendly opponents because he wanted to prepare his players for the kind of challenges they will face in high-stakes fixtures.

“That’s why these games are so beneficial,” he said.

Wales will have a better idea of where they stand in their World Cup qualifying group once Belgium have played North Macedonia in Ghent on Friday night.

North Macedonia are top on 11 points, one point ahead of Wales and Belgium, who are above Bellamy’s men on goal difference and have a game in hand on both their rivals.

If Wales are to qualify automatically by winning the group, they need to win all three of their remaining matches and hope Belgium drop points more than once.

Wales’ squad will be watching Friday’s game in their team room after dinner at their training base on the outskirts of Cardiff. Bellamy will already have watched countless hours of previous encounters with Belgium as part of his preparations.

When Monday night comes around, Wales will be prepared – if a little bruised by their trip to Wembley.

“It’s not exactly [as] planned [the result against England] but Monday’s a different game,” said Bellamy.

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‘Should throw them out of NATO’: Trump blasts Spain over defence spending

By in News, World News

The meeting was supposed to be the prelude to the purchase of Finnish icebreaker ships.

But as United States President Donald Trump welcomed Finland’s President Alexander Stubb to the Oval Office on Thursday, he veered into a discussion of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) — and his ongoing feud with one of its members, Spain.

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At a NATO summit in June, Spain was the most prominent holdout against Trump’s push to increase defence spending among member states.

Trump has long sought for all NATO members to commit 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to building up their military assets. But Spain successfully pushed for an exemption at June’s meeting, allowing its expenditures to remain around the previous benchmark of 2 percent.

That resistance lingered on Trump’s mind at Thursday’s meeting, as he discussed the US commitment to NATO with Stubb.

“As you know, I requested that they pay 5 percent, not 2 percent,” Trump said of the NATO members.

“And most people thought that was not gonna happen. And it happened virtually unanimously. We had one laggard. It was Spain. Spain. You have to call them and find out: Why are they a laggard?”

He then mused about taking retribution: “They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.”

It was a bitter note in an otherwise friendly meeting with Stubb, whom Trump hosted in March at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Since his first term as president, Trump has wavered in his public comments about NATO, at times embracing the alliance and, at other moments, rejecting it as “obsolete”.

But seated next to Stubb and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Trump took a decidedly enthusiastic approach to defending Finland, one of the newest members of NATO. It joined the alliance in April 2023, followed by Sweden less than a year later.

Reporters at Thursday’s Oval Office meeting pressed Trump about what he might do if Russia expands its war in Ukraine to other countries in Europe.

In Finnish politics, the spectre of Russian interference looms large: The former Soviet Union invaded Finland in the 1930s, and since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, relations between the two countries have soured even further.

Finland closed its shared border with Russia in 2024, an international divide that stretches across 1,340 kilometres, or 841 miles.

“What if Russia and Vladimir Putin attacks Finland? Would you defend Finland?” one reporter asked Trump on Thursday.

Trump did not mince words in his reply. “I would. Yes, I would. They’re a member of NATO.”

He nevertheless cast doubt on the prospect of a Russian invasion under Putin.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t think he’s going to do that. I think the chances of that are very, very small,” he said, turning to Stubb. “You have a very powerful military, one of the best.”

When pushed to specify how he might defend Finland in case of an attack, Trump offered one word in reply: “Vigorously.”

Those warm remarks offered a stark contrast with his approach to Spain. In the wake of the June NATO summit, for instance, Trump called Spain’s position “hostile” and threatened its economy, pledging to make it pay “twice as much” in tariffs to the US.

“I think Spain is terrible, what they’ve done,” he told reporters, accusing the country of taking a “free ride” at other countries’ expense. “That economy could be blown right out of the water with something bad happening.”

Palestinians in Gaza’s south relearn sound of peace after truce deal

By in News, World News

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – For the first time in a long time, Palestinian mother Wiam al-Masri can clearly recognise the cries of her infant son, Samih, who is not yet two months old. His soft wailing rises in the quiet air of al-Mawasi, in southern Khan Younis, hours after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the peace plan brokered by US President Donald Trump to end the Gaza war – largely halting Israeli air and artillery strikes and ushering in an unfamiliar calm.

After two years of war that left more than 67,190 people dead – an assault the United Nations described as genocide – Palestinians in Gaza are beginning to celebrate a long-awaited silence. The agreement has dramatically reduced the constant shelling and the buzzing of warplanes that have dominated the skies since 2023 – although Israel has conducted some attacks, killing at least 29 Palestinians on Thursday, particularly in Gaza City.

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Inside a worn tent where she has lived for five months with her firstborn, her husband and his parents, Wiam listens as the sea wind brushes through the fabric. She says softly, “Finally, the sound of the sea is no longer drowned out by the noise of war. This calm is a blessing only those who have listened to death’s roar for two years can truly understand.”

Wiam’s family fled to al-Mawasi after Israeli forces destroyed her husband’s apartment in Gaza City, just six months after their marriage in November 2024.

At 24, Wiam had been studying pharmacy at the University of Palestine before the war destroyed her campus and forced her to drop out.

Now, she presses her ear, signalling the stillness around her – no explosions, no roaring aircraft. From just 400m (1,300 feet) away, she can hear the gentle breaking of waves on Gaza’s coast, once drowned out by the sound of bombardment.

Wiam al-Masri and her baby Samih [Mohamed Soulaimane/Al Jazeera]

The buzz of the ‘zanana’

“Since his birth, I never left my baby’s side,” Wiam recalls. “I could barely hear him cry over the shelling or the drones. The most terrifying were the quadcopters that flew right between and inside the tents – once, one hovered just above us.”

A quadcopter is a small, camera-equipped drone that Israel uses extensively for surveillance across Gaza and the occupied West Bank. It emits a distinctive, continuous buzz that Palestinians call “al-zanana” – Arabic for “the buzzing drone.”

She smiles faintly. “Now I hear birds chirping in the palm trees, the sea, and my baby’s cry – sounds I was deprived of before.”

As a breastfeeding mother, Wiam says, “My son’s cry gives me comfort. The real terror was when the [Israeli] tanks approached al-Mawasi – at least three times – or when a drone hovered so close we thought it would strike.”

Wiam pauses, then adds: “And al-zanana was the worst. You can’t hear anything else. It’s not just surveillance; it’s psychological warfare meant to break us.”

She dreams of returning to the rubble of her home. “The sounds of war were not just noise. They were constant fear – every roar could become death in a second. Today, only hours into the truce, the difference is enormous. We can finally hear each other again.”

During the war, she often played recordings of the Quran to calm her baby and herself. “Every sound around us meant death,” she says quietly. “We could barely stand from fear. Imagine living surrounded by the constant noise of destruction – you feel death breathing beside you.”

Memories of loss

The harshest sound Wiam remembers came 36 days into the war, when Israeli strikes hit her extended family’s home as she stood just metres away visiting her aunt. The blast killed six of her siblings, her father’s wife, and her niece, and injured several others, including her twin sister, Wisam.

“It was a sound I’ll never forget,” Wiam says. “A massacre in every sense. Thank God the war has stopped – even temporarily – so that these explosions and massacres won’t happen again.”

Not far away in al-Mawasi, Ahmed al-Hissi, 73, can barely believe the silence. “We’ve lived with the sounds of death chasing us day and night,” he jokes to his sons and grandchildren. “It will take time to get used to peace.”

He is a father of eight – the eldest, Mahmoud, is 50, and the youngest, Shaaban, 28. His son Khaled, 34, was killed on November 8, 2023, by an Israeli naval shell near Gaza’s fishing port. Khaled’s wife, Thuraya, 30, was killed days later when a neighbouring apartment was bombed.

Now Ahmed sits inside a borrowed tent, surrounded by some of his children and grandchildren – including Ahmed, 13; Ghazza, 11; and Shawq, 3 – the children of his late son. They survived because they were playing on the first floor when the third floor, where their mother stood, was hit.

“The sounds of war are unbearable,” he says. “Sometimes we jumped out of bed from the blasts, hugging the children as they shook uncontrollably. Those sounds were omens of death. That’s why today feels unreal.”

As he repairs a fishing net stretched between his knees, he adds, “Even now, my grandchildren flinch at the slightest sound – if I clap my hands, they cry. Here, every sound means something. It means survival or death.”

He looks toward the sea. “Tomorrow, I’ll return to fishing. We’ll hear the gulls and the vendors at Beach Camp again, not the cries of mourners or the rumble of tanks. Gaza is moving from the sounds of death to the sounds of life.”

Tawfiq al-Najili handing out food from a pot to children
Tawfiq al-Najili tries to feed as many people as he can in Gaza, but there will always be more he can’t help [Mohamed Soulaimane/Al Jazeera]

Empty pots and quiet hunger

In northern al-Mawasi, Tawfiq al-Najili, 40, volunteers as a supervisor at a camp for displaced families. He scrapes the last grains of rice from a large pot donated by a local charity into a plastic bowl for a hungry child clinging to his leg. Exhaustion and sadness shadow his face.

He says the sound of an empty pot scraping its bottom is, to him, “as painful as an explosion”.

“When the ladle hits the bottom of the pot, I know there are families who won’t eat tonight,” he explains. “The war forced many sounds on us – the terrifying ones like jets and bombs, but also the heartbreaking ones: empty pots, children crying from hunger.”

Each time he hears that sound, sorrow fills his chest. “You see adults and children turn away in despair, some in tears. I pray never to hear that sound – or the sound of children crying – again.”

Displaced from northern Khan Younis five months ago, Tawfiq hopes the truce brings not only quiet skies but also food, water, and medicine.

“The war will have truly stopped,” he says, “when the cries of the hungry and the sick fall silent – when we no longer hear weeping or drones, only peace.”

‘No easy way back for Bellingham as Rogers vindicates Tuchel’s strategy’

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images

Phil McNulty

Chief football writer at Wembley
  • 98 Comments

Thomas Tuchel may have expressed public displeasure with England’s fans after the emphatic Wembley win against Wales, but the performance of his players will have left him feeling only the warm glow of vindication.

Tuchel delivered a highly-critical and unusually blunt verdict from any coach in the direction of his own “silent” supporters after a 3-0 stroll was effectively wrapped up inside the first 20 minutes.

It was, however, another message delivered by the German manager that will carry wider significance as England gather momentum towards next summer’s World Cup.

Tuchel’s words stretched way beyond the shockwaves that greeted Jude Bellingham’s exclusion when he named his latest England squad.

He made it crystal clear that England’s star system was over, that players in possession could cement their places by sheer weight of performances, the biggest names no longer guaranteed an automatic recall.

England victory in the Wembley friendly must be placed in the context of Welsh opponents with eyes seemingly fixed on their vital World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Monday, but this was still a night with a large measure of satisfaction for Tuchel’s strategy.

Tuchel made it clear he is picking an England team, not individuals. He even stated: “We are not collecting the most talented players. We are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.”

Bellingham’s superstar status meant Tuchel’s selection was laced with risk, even though it was shaped by common sense as he had only started one game for Real Madrid following shoulder surgery.

He may have wanted to be included, but on this occasion Tuchel was happy to do without Bellingham, keeping faith with the players who produced the best result and performance of his reign by winning 5-0 against Serbia in the World Cup qualifier in Belgrade.

And, to add further credibility to Tuchel’s decision-making process, England’s outstanding player against Wales was Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, excelling in Bellingham’s number 10 role, as he did in Belgrade.

Rogers, on the evidence of England’s past two games, is fast becoming the poster boy for the new identity Tuchel wants to create.

    • 1 hour ago
England head coach Thomas Tuchel shows his delight after Morgan Rogers scored the opening goal against Wales at Wembley.Reuters

Bellingham will, of course, go to the World Cup but he will be even more aware now that there is no guarantee he will walk back into the team.

He is not indispensable, but Tuchel will be increasingly convinced England can survive without him.

This was a win also achieved without the injured Cole Palmer, with Manchester City’s Phil Foden left out of the squad, and with injured captain Harry Kane watching from the sidelines.

If Tuchel took a gamble, on this occasion it was rewarded.

If England had faltered, Tuchel will have known fingers would be pointed in his direction. They may well still be if they do not get the right result in Riga, but on this night his beaming smile at the final whistle was fully justified.

Tuchel must feel extemely self-assured to take aim at England’s supporters for their lack of backing in his post-match briefing. It may be contentious, but it is also the action of someone increasingly comfortable in his own skin in this exacting job.

And in Rogers, he is getting a symbol for the way he wants to progress.

The powerful 23-year-old set England on the way with his first international goal after only three minutes, a neat finish swept in from close range. He then helped set up the second for Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins eight minutes later before Bukayo Saka completed a devastating opening burst with a spectacular third after 20 minutes.

Rogers also hit the bar in the second half before being substitute to a standing ovation after 69 minutes.

He played 24 passes, 19 successfully, creating two chances as well as scoring his goal.

Tuchel said: “Morgan is what he is. He is a number 10 and he is competing for his place. He is in a good way.

Elliott AndersonGetty Images

‘Not Tuchel’s job to make players happy’

Former England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Tuchel has been vindicated. The players named could start a match for England, but he has got big decisions to make.

“His job isn’t to make players happy. His job is to come in and win a World Cup for England. That is the difficult job he has got to do. The difficult part is you’re going to upset people. You’re going to get people in the press asking about your decisions.

“So far, the big decisions he has made have paid off, and it is looking in really good shape for England so far.”

He added: “At the moment it looks fantastic and they might be able to continue that against the best teams in the world. There will come a point when you need a Jude Bellingham, a Cole Palmer, to perhaps have an influence on the game. The great thing is, we’ve got the players.”

Rogers told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Not a bad night for sure. It’s a different team but it’s the same idea. It’s the same mindset. It’s the same thought and the same way we want to play.

“The players that come in, the players that don’t come in, we all know what we are doing and we are feeding off each other and it’s a lovely place to be. It’s a lovely environment and it’s very nice to play for this team.

Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson is another beneficiary of Tuchel’s willingness to look outside the usual inner circle of England stars, producing a third successive top-class display.

Anderson’s constant demands for the ball, his ability to keep England ticking over, are hallmarks of his quality. He played 77 passes, 74 successfully, created two chances and regained possession six times.

Tuchel added: “Morgan and Elliot are humble players and very talented and that is a very good mix.”

The German can now move forward from a position of strength, even stronger than after the win in Serbia. If he can engineer another victory in Latvia, then it will add weight to his conviction that will build a team.

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‘No easy way back for Bellingham as Rogers vindicates Tuchel’s strategy’

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images

Phil McNulty

Chief football writer at Wembley
  • 98 Comments

Thomas Tuchel may have expressed public displeasure with England’s fans after the emphatic Wembley win against Wales, but the performance of his players will have left him feeling only the warm glow of vindication.

Tuchel delivered a highly-critical and unusually blunt verdict from any coach in the direction of his own “silent” supporters after a 3-0 stroll was effectively wrapped up inside the first 20 minutes.

It was, however, another message delivered by the German manager that will carry wider significance as England gather momentum towards next summer’s World Cup.

Tuchel’s words stretched way beyond the shockwaves that greeted Jude Bellingham’s exclusion when he named his latest England squad.

He made it crystal clear that England’s star system was over, that players in possession could cement their places by sheer weight of performances, the biggest names no longer guaranteed an automatic recall.

England victory in the Wembley friendly must be placed in the context of Welsh opponents with eyes seemingly fixed on their vital World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Monday, but this was still a night with a large measure of satisfaction for Tuchel’s strategy.

Tuchel made it clear he is picking an England team, not individuals. He even stated: “We are not collecting the most talented players. We are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.”

Bellingham’s superstar status meant Tuchel’s selection was laced with risk, even though it was shaped by common sense as he had only started one game for Real Madrid following shoulder surgery.

He may have wanted to be included, but on this occasion Tuchel was happy to do without Bellingham, keeping faith with the players who produced the best result and performance of his reign by winning 5-0 against Serbia in the World Cup qualifier in Belgrade.

And, to add further credibility to Tuchel’s decision-making process, England’s outstanding player against Wales was Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, excelling in Bellingham’s number 10 role, as he did in Belgrade.

Rogers, on the evidence of England’s past two games, is fast becoming the poster boy for the new identity Tuchel wants to create.

    • 1 hour ago
England head coach Thomas Tuchel shows his delight after Morgan Rogers scored the opening goal against Wales at Wembley.Reuters

Bellingham will, of course, go to the World Cup but he will be even more aware now that there is no guarantee he will walk back into the team.

He is not indispensable, but Tuchel will be increasingly convinced England can survive without him.

This was a win also achieved without the injured Cole Palmer, with Manchester City’s Phil Foden left out of the squad, and with injured captain Harry Kane watching from the sidelines.

If Tuchel took a gamble, on this occasion it was rewarded.

If England had faltered, Tuchel will have known fingers would be pointed in his direction. They may well still be if they do not get the right result in Riga, but on this night his beaming smile at the final whistle was fully justified.

Tuchel must feel extemely self-assured to take aim at England’s supporters for their lack of backing in his post-match briefing. It may be contentious, but it is also the action of someone increasingly comfortable in his own skin in this exacting job.

And in Rogers, he is getting a symbol for the way he wants to progress.

The powerful 23-year-old set England on the way with his first international goal after only three minutes, a neat finish swept in from close range. He then helped set up the second for Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins eight minutes later before Bukayo Saka completed a devastating opening burst with a spectacular third after 20 minutes.

Rogers also hit the bar in the second half before being substitute to a standing ovation after 69 minutes.

He played 24 passes, 19 successfully, creating two chances as well as scoring his goal.

Tuchel said: “Morgan is what he is. He is a number 10 and he is competing for his place. He is in a good way.

Elliott AndersonGetty Images

‘Not Tuchel’s job to make players happy’

Former England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Tuchel has been vindicated. The players named could start a match for England, but he has got big decisions to make.

“His job isn’t to make players happy. His job is to come in and win a World Cup for England. That is the difficult job he has got to do. The difficult part is you’re going to upset people. You’re going to get people in the press asking about your decisions.

“So far, the big decisions he has made have paid off, and it is looking in really good shape for England so far.”

He added: “At the moment it looks fantastic and they might be able to continue that against the best teams in the world. There will come a point when you need a Jude Bellingham, a Cole Palmer, to perhaps have an influence on the game. The great thing is, we’ve got the players.”

Rogers told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Not a bad night for sure. It’s a different team but it’s the same idea. It’s the same mindset. It’s the same thought and the same way we want to play.

“The players that come in, the players that don’t come in, we all know what we are doing and we are feeding off each other and it’s a lovely place to be. It’s a lovely environment and it’s very nice to play for this team.

Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson is another beneficiary of Tuchel’s willingness to look outside the usual inner circle of England stars, producing a third successive top-class display.

Anderson’s constant demands for the ball, his ability to keep England ticking over, are hallmarks of his quality. He played 77 passes, 74 successfully, created two chances and regained possession six times.

Tuchel added: “Morgan and Elliot are humble players and very talented and that is a very good mix.”

The German can now move forward from a position of strength, even stronger than after the win in Serbia. If he can engineer another victory in Latvia, then it will add weight to his conviction that will build a team.

Related topics

  • Football
  • England Men’s Football Team