Thomas Tuchel mirrors Fabio Capello as England maintains flawless 2026 WCQ start with 3-0 win over Latvia | OneFootball

Naturally, tougher challenges lie ahead for Thomas Tuchel, but England couldn’t have asked for a better start under his management.

After defeating Albania in his debut, England also comfortably overcame Latvia 3-0 at Wembley this evening. With this victory, Tuchel became the first permanent England manager to win his first two competitive matches in charge since Fabio Capello in September 2008, who won his first eight.

A perfectionist, though understanding the limitations of an international (who only has a short amount of time with his players), Tuchel demanded an improvement on the Albania win, and following that success, the former Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich tactician declared that England needed more from their wingers, saying Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden were “not as decisive as they can be”.

Rashford attempted five and completed three more dribbles than any other player on the pitch, though he only created one chance and failed to attempt a shot. With Anthony Gordon suffering a late injury, the Aston Villa loanee got another opportunity on Monday, knowing he needed to supply a better end product.

This was a somewhat more productive outing in the mere fact that Rashford had one shot on goal, although it was not on target. He saw plenty of possession as England often directed their attack down his left flank, attempting no fewer than six dribbles (completing one) while creating five chances—more than any other Three Lions player.

Foden would drop out, allowing West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen to take the right flank, while Rashford’s clubmate Morgan Rogers assumed the deep-lying forward position. This adjustment meant that Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham would move back a line to partner Declan Rice, with Harry Kane leading England as expected. The England backline also saw changes, with Reece James and Marc Guehi coming in for Kyle Walker and Dan Burn, respectively. Myles Lewis-Skelly was rewarded with a second consecutive start after his historic performance last time out.

A midfielder by trade, Lewis-Skelly has gone from strength to strength in an “inverted” full-back role—a left-back who steps into midfield—which he has brought to England. He predominantly found himself there as the Three Lions played a 3-2-4-1 shape in possession, often sandwiched between Rice and Bellingham, continuing from the Albania game where he “played as a No. 8 or No. 10,” as Tuchel described. Tuchel, however, believes his best position is where he plays for Arsenal: “in the left double six, the double six inverted role”.

On their first-ever visit to Wembley, the Latvians—whose sole international tournament appearance was Euro 2004 and who are currently ranked 140th in the world—could have broken the deadlock in the 18th minute when a mix-up between Jordan Pickford and Guehi allowed Vladislavs Gutkovskis to sneak through, but he could not direct his effort on target into an empty goal, as it was steered into the side-netting.

Immediately, at the other end, Riga FC goalkeeper Krišjānis Zviedris produced a stunning effort to dent Konsa from close range. Paolo Nicolato’s men, who transformed into a shape like a mini-Christmas tree whenever England were in possession, did well to keep their far more illustrious hosts at bay until James’ breakthrough in the 38th minute.

On the night of his 18th cap and first start in two and a half years, James bent a “Beckham-esque” free-kick — won by Lewis-Skelly — from about 25 yards, with Zviedris rooted to the spot. James incidentally became the first defender to score a direct free-kick goal for England at Wembley since Stuart Pearce against Turkey in November 1992.

His inclusion may have raised some eyebrows, but familiarity with Tuchel’s methods undoubtedly played a role. James, now the captain of his boyhood club, Chelsea, would play 74 times under Tuchel during their period working together at Stamford Bridge; he would contribute seven goals and 12 assists, but this effort was perhaps the sweetest.

Just like in the match against Albania, a substitution changed the dynamic of the game. Bellingham, who has been in excellent form recently with 11 goal involvements in his last 16 appearances for England—scoring five goals and providing six assists—was unable to impact the match further after being substituted. Tuchel was concerned that the Brummie might receive a second yellow card.

Bellingham’s exit, with Foden coming on, allowed Rice to take on more responsibility and have more space to move forward. It was Rice’s intelligent run that caught Rodgers’ attention. He then slid the ball through to a waiting Kane, who extended his national team goalscoring record to 71 goals. That is 70 more than Foden’s fellow substitute, Eberechi Eze, who made the scoreline representative of England’s dominance.

Eze’s efficiency was a sharp contrast to Rogers, who finished with six efforts (though none on target), level with Bellingham. He also led the dribble count with six. But this was nevertheless an encouraging showcase for the Villa man, who added thrust to England’s play, particularly in the second half. At the very least, he played his way into featuring in England’s upcoming qualifier against Andorra in June.

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