Thomas Tuchel wins first recreation as England boss – however Three Lions have work to do
ENGLAND 2-0 ALBANIA: Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane scored for England at Wembley as the Three Lions won in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge
Thomas Tuchel oversaw a winning start to his new era as England boss.
But still needed an old technique to get the job done against the minnows from Albania. Which is lean on the sublime skills of Jude Bellingham and goals of Harry Kane to see the Three Lions get over the line.
Gareth Southgate did it quite often – and here was Tuchel doing the same thing at the first time of asking.
It was going to take something special to unpick a stubborn Albanian defence – and Bellingham was the man to deliver. With one sensational pass to present Miles Lewis-Skelly with the chance to secure a dream debut – and some history – with a first half goal.
Kane then added a second deep into the second half. Different manager, but same old story. If winning is all that counts then Tuchel got what he wanted.
A triumphant start to a qualification campaign for a World Cup Tuchel has been charged with bringing home.
But with the exception of Lewis-Skelly, needing the same familiar faces to see England overcome a side below Jordan and the UAE in the rankings, was hardly the heavy metal start to Tuchel’s reign supporters had been looking for.
Tuchel has made it clear will do things his way. Which reflected in a team which left a few people surprised.
Marcus Rashford was brought in from the international wilderness for his first start since November 2023. Dan Burn and Lewis-Skelly were handed debuts, while Curtis Jones started in midfield.
With two giants in the middle of defence, it felt like an old-school English side, supporting Tuchel’s threat to take no prisoners. Not that England mad much defending to do.
This was attack versus defence for the most part, aside from the odd flourish from the visitors.
Had it been December instead of March, then apart from a first half flap around under his crossbar, Jordan Pickford would have been in danger of catching nothing more significant than a cold.
At least he had a front row seat to see dominate the ball with some crisp passing, before winning it back sharpish on the rare occasions Albania had it.
Kane could have put England ahead inside 16 minutes, but his control let him down in the box. Moments later the deadlock was broken.
And it was all down a moment of magic from Bellingham, whose sharp turn and defence splitting pass took out four defenders to find Lewis-Skelly, who beat the advancing Thomas Strakosha with a nutmeg finish.
In the process, he became the youngest player in English history to score on his debut, surpassing the record Rashford set in 2016. Tuchel pumped his fists on the sidelines. But he wanted more.
Bellingham missed a chance to double England’s lead, before seeing his diving header somehow kept out by Strakosha. Kane seemed certain to bury the rebound, but the outstretched leg of Berat Djimisiti deflected his effort over the top.
Burn then thumped a header back off the crossbar, while Bellingham picked out Kane, who sent a flashing header wide after the break. It felt exciting but frustrating in equal measure. Because the goals failed to flow against a side ranked 65th in the world.
“Welcome to the home of football, Thomas” read one banner. And it won’t take Tuchel long to realise it’s the place that expects more than this every time he’s in it.
