England got manager Thomas Tuchel’s coaching career off to a good start with a 2-0 win over Albania. However, the win was not entirely convincing and exposed many issues that Tuchel needs to address going forward.
Victory was expected
First of all, it must be recognized that Albania is not a strong team, and they simply cannot compete with England. Therefore, it is not surprising that England won 2-0 at home. But after the match, Tuchel confessed in an interview that he was not satisfied with his players’ performance.
Tuchel pointed out that there are quite a few problems with England’s style of play. The team lacks discipline and organization, and the players have a poor sense of maintaining formation and position on the field, resulting in an overall structure that is not solid enough. “Our defense system is not tight enough, and we look a bit passive when facing opponents’ counterattacks. Fortunately, Albania’s offense is limited.” Tuchel said.
Problems on the offensive end
In addition to the defensive problems, Tuchel also criticized the team’s offensive performance. He felt that the players often lost their rhythm when organizing the attack, and although they dominated possession, it was difficult to create threatening chances. “We controlled the game without getting really close to the opponent’s goal and had far fewer shots on goal than expected.” Tuchel emphasized that this weakness needs to be improved as soon as possible.
He also mentioned that Albania’s defense was very tenacious and they showed discipline in defending from distance to form a tight line. “This made it a lot more difficult for us on the offensive end.” Tuchel analyzed. Furthermore, he believes England’s lack of creativity and flexibility in attack is partly due to the absence of some key players.
Foden and Rashford’s performances have been a huge disappointment
Tuchel even criticized two stars by name – Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden and Aston Villa striker Marcus Rashford. He said, “I wanted them to perform better, especially to be more active on the break and in passing. But in this game they almost ‘disappeared’.” Because of this, Tuchel replaced both of them in the second half.
What displeased Tuchel even more was the players’ attitude problem. “They were too lazy to run more and I had to keep yelling to remind them. If they want to keep playing under my coaching, they have to change this attitude. Because the opponents won’t give us easy chances.” Tuchel gave his players a stern warning.
Challenges ahead
The match was Tuchel’s debut in charge of England. He had said before the match that he needs more time to build the team’s style in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, his current priority is to enhance the atmosphere of unity in the dressing room and get the players to work better with each other.
The 2-0 win was still a good start for England despite the players’ lackluster performance. The win helped them take a temporary lead in Group K of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Next up, England will face Latvia on March 25 in their second game of the group stage.
For Tuchel and his team, this win is just a starting point and there is still a long way to go ahead.
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