Five talking points from Tuchel’s first game as England boss

England started the Thomas Tuchel era with a 2-0 victory over Albania in World Cup qualifying.

Before Harry Kane’s 70th England goal, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the teen who made his senior international debut, scored the winning goal.

Before the game, Tuchel made headlines by claiming that Gareth Southgate’s England appeared to have played fearfully at Euro 2024.

He also suggested that they play physical football in the Premier League.

Known for his tactical flexibility, nobody was quite certain what formation Tuchel would opt for – but he sent England out in a 4-2-3-1.

Although Tuchel’s teams are typically known for their intensity and tenacity, it was difficult for England to show it against a team that had a similar defensive setup, especially in the first half.

The German, who has only met his players for the first time since taking over in January, is also in the early stages of his reign.

“Thomas Tuchel’s had the squad for three days – you can’t expect to see a different England team”, said former Three Lions midfielder Leon Osman on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The football match was won by us. There was no urgency once we had advanced.

” We want to be entertained. In tournament football, there is a certain degree of control.

We want to be entertained at the very least while we’re not competing in a tournament.

England had 74% of the ball and 12 shots to Albania’s three – with the hosts recording all six efforts on target in the game.

They completed 437 passes in the opening 45 minutes, the most of any England first half record set by Opta.

After the break, the visitors did try to play more, but Armando Broja’s substitution only made a few errors in front of England’s backline.

The result itself was routine – new England manager or not. Since November 2007, the Three Lions have won 34 of their 38 home World Cup or Euro qualifiers.

Former England defender Matt Upson described the game as challenging from a spectator’s point of view.

“Once we got into the rhythm, it was very much an England game at Wembley against inferior opposition where they struggled to break them down.

We want to see how Thomas Tuchel’s plan will turn out, they say.

“England managed the game well, and there are so many questions,” he said.

Lewis-Skelly, 18, would have hardly been on England’s radar a few months ago. He had not played a senior professional game until after the September international break.

But he has since joined Arsenal’s first team, scored against Manchester City, received two red cards (unfortunately), and established himself as a regular Gunner.

Former Arsenal centre-back Upson remarked, “It doesn’t get much better.”

“The opportunity has fallen to him, the timing has been great. He was a part of the team because of the injuries that were caused by Arsenal.

He has had to take advantage of those opportunities, he said. He looks to be a top player. “

Tuchel gave him an opportunity to represent England, and he did so with both hands.

Lewis-Skelly was front-footed, cutting into central midfield, and popping up in the box in a striking illustration of the contemporary full-back role.

And he got the opening goal when he appeared in the Albania area to score through Thomas Strakosha’s legs from Jude Bellingham’s fantastic through ball.

He appeared as either a number eight or number 10 in the second half, Tuchel said.

” His very best position is where he plays for Arsenal in the double six.

He understands very quickly, despite our efforts to play a little more conventional today because it’s easier to learn because we have players from many different clubs.

In the closing seconds, Lewis-Skelly ovated the pitch.

England tried three different left-backs in their final three Nations League games – Lewis Hall, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rico Lewis – but Lewis-Skelly will hope to make the position his own.

Upson described him as “absolutely fantastic.” How well-versed in that situation and how he handled it given the very limited senior football he has played speaks volumes about how talented and capable he is and how far he can go. It was a brilliant evening for him.

Lewis Hall is probably the closest to competing for that position when it comes to that position. The two of them are in a little battle for the left-back slot, you can see. That was a big moment for Lewis-Skelly tonight to try to cement himself in Thomas Tuchel’s mind for that role. “

He was dead relaxed, Osman said, but he wasn’t put to the test of his defensiveness.

When it comes to England debuts, centre-back Burn is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

The 32-year-old made his first appearance for England of any age during this match. In fact he was the oldest Three Lions debutant since Kevin Davies in 2010.

It arrived during the 6′ 7″ defender’s unquestionably best week of work.

He led his hometown team Newcastle to victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, also at Wembley, with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the final of the first trophy in 56 years.

The following day he joined up with England.

Tuchel gave him a quick debut, and he did well.

Burn finished with 135 from 137, becoming the first England debutant to hit 100 or more passes on Opta’s record.

He made more clearances (seven), won more tackles (two) and won more aerial duels (four) than any other Three Lions player.

Plus, he was able to hit both crossbars, making a clearance before heading into Declan Rice’s corner and onto the bar.

According to Upson, “He was excellent in the first half, looked very good, but didn’t have much defensive issues.” He showed his threat from set-pieces”.

However, there were times when he was caught out, particularly when Broja was on.

Ezri Konsa started alongside Burn, while Marc Guehi, who was one of England’s best players at Euro 2024, watched from the bench.

“There were a couple of moments in the second half where Burn got hurt in behind, got a bit tight and spun”, said Upson. “His cooperation with Konsa was excellent.

Konsa’s performance was very assured and demonstrated how much he had improved over the past six months. Playing in the Champions League with Aston Villa has brought him on to the next level.

England wingers Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford both failed to set the game alight.

Rashford, who was on loan at Villa from Manchester United, rediscovering his form under Unai Emery and receiving his first England chance in a year.

He did have a few good touches, especially early on, but not much was accomplished.

Manchester City’s Foden had a similar experience on the right-hand side.

In the 74th minute, they were both replaced by Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones.

Both of our starting wingers didn’t have the same impact as they should, according to Tuchel.

“At the moment I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them.

They had excellent training, and they were effective in it, which is why they deserved it. In their final weeks of play, they were excellent.

“We will keep encouraging them and give them a structure so they can show their potential”.

Foster wants to enter, Upson said. He’s not the kind of winger Tuchel wants to play out of the blue.

” He wants a fast-paced aggressive style – to go at teams. Foden prefers to step up and make things open up in that way.

“Rashford showed willingness, and he has that speed, but he didn’t quite find the final product tonight.

Captain Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer by some way – and he netted his 70th international goal on Friday.

Rice’s cross was intercepted before he headed the ball into the bottom corner after adroit control.

Roy Hodgson, Gareth Southgate, and Tuchel are the first three different managers to score for England under Kane.

” Typical Kane, “said Upson”. Although he didn’t get much action for a while, a few of his passes were outstanding. He drops deeps and catches those balls high.

“His finish was really high level. Excellent for the initial movements and finding the bottom corner. Definitely a performance in the style of Kane.

” He would probably want to be involved in the game a bit more in the build-up. However, Albania sat in, which prevented him from having many chances to get the ball.

The 31-year-old continued to excel with Tuchel, scoring 44 goals in 45 games for the German at Bayern Munich.