Tuchel unimpressed with two England stars following Albania win

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·22 de março de 2025

Tuchel unimpressed with two England stars following Albania win

Thomas Tuchel picked out England attackers Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden for criticism following Friday night’s 2-0 win over Albania.

Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane both scored at Wembley Stadium to get the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifying campaign off to a perfect start to put them top of Group K.

Vídeos OneFootball

England dominated possession and created four big chances on the night while limiting the opposition to three low percentage shots.

Tuchel, though, was left wanting more from his squad after the game, pointing out his players were lethargic in the second half.

“We can do better, we have to do better,” the former Chelsea boss told ITV. “We started well, we had seven or eight minutes with 100 percent ball possession with a lot of passes and high energy.

“The opponent is hard to break down as they defend in a deep block. In the Euros [last year] they managed to not concede chances.

“Second half, I felt we were too slow and in general not enough runs off the ball to get behind the line.”

Tuchel unimpressed with England stars Rashford and Foden

Tuchel handed Manchester United forward Rashford, currently on loan at Aston Villa, his first England start in over a year. The 27-year-old linked up well with Jude Bellingham, but exhibited poor decision-making in the final third.

Manchester City star Phil Foden, meanwhile, had very little influence on the game, taking no shots and creating zero chances.

“Both of our wingers that started were not as impactful as they can be or as they are in club football,” Tuchel said.

“At the moment I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them, to bring the ball in more [of an] open position to them, I need to review the match.

“We lacked a bit of runs off the ball, so it was a bit too much passing and not enough dribbling. Not aggressive enough towards goal.

“They were very good in the last weeks in their clubs. We will keep encouraging them and give them a structure so they can show their potential.”

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