What has Thomas Tuchel learned from his first two games in charge of England? | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel took charge of his second game as national team manager as England hosted Latvia, but despite a comfortable 3-0 win, how much has the new boss learned about his new side after 180 minutes of action?

England secured a 2-0 victory over Albania in Tuchel’s first game and while five goals scored and none conceded in his first two games in charge is undoubtedly a positive, it is hard to draw big conclusions from both games.

Starting with a positive, Marcus Rashford was more direct against Latvia. Tuchel chose to call out both Phil Foden and Rashford after their lack of impact on Friday against Albania, and whilst Foden was not given the chance to redeem himself and relegated to the bench, Rashford was keen to show the German he can take instruction on board.

He ardently tried, with mixed success, to be more adventurous and take on full-back Roberts Savalnieks. He was dangerous, regularly getting the better of his man despite lacking the final bit of quality. But the effort of the Aston Villa man should not go unnoticed, especially in a game where no-one else seemed keen to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and it was no doubt an encouraging sign.

There were a lot of quiet players. It must be said that in a game that did not offer much, neither did a lot of the England players. Morgan Rogers started well before fading away and Jarrod Bowen struggled to make an impact.

You could argue that in these World Cup qualifiers, that have become something of a ‘gimme’ for England, nothing more than the ordinary is needed to qualify. And with two wins from two, five goals scored and zero conceded, who could argue with that?

But Tuchel has a very short period of time in which to judge and then select these players before the World Cup. If they fail to impress him in these low-intensity, low-stake games, they can hardly argue if they are not selected.

Harry Kane has less pressure on him. He is still scoring goals at a rapid rate and injury-aside, will be on the plane to the USA. Jude Bellingham, likewise, continued to show why he is perhaps England’s most important player.

The likes of Bowen, Rogers, Foden and Rashford however, have stiff competition for places and need to prove they are better than their team-mates.

Players who did take their chance were Eberechi Eze and Reece James. Eze only needed 14 minutes on the pitch after being substituted on to take the ball, go on a mazy run and with the help of a deflection, score his first England goal. But luck does favour the brave.

James, starting his first international game for three years, played in his natural right-back position, after a spell of being used in midfield by his club manager, and looked somewhere near his best. He was overlapping Bowen, whipping in crosses, and topped off his performance with a fine free-kick goal.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s continued emergence was also a huge positive, scoring on his debut and showing he belongs in the England team.

But more players, especially in the final third, needed to step up in the 180 minutes that Tuchel has had to gauge his men so far though. And with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer to return, Tuchel still has a lot to learn about what his best attack will be when the World Cup comes around.