“Not exactly to look at”
Thomas Tuchel looks critically at his England debut
22.03.2025 – 07:42 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
With a lack of victory against Albania, Thomas Tuchel started his time as an English national coach. He himself knows: there is still room for improvement.
Thomas Tuchel successfully played his first game as England’s national coach. Despite the 2-0 victory against Albania in the World Cup qualification, the former Bayern coach still saw a lot of improvement potential.
“We can do it better, we have to do it better,” said Tuchel after the game in the London Wembley Stadium, but was optimistic: “We will get even more rhythm. I will understand the players better.”
In conversation with the BBC, Tuchel admitted that his team had not yet shown the attractive football he had announced. “I understand that it wasn’t exactly to look at, but we still had to do what had to be done,” said the coach.
The British press rated Tuchel’s debut similar. The “Sun” wrote: “It wasn’t exactly the exciting roller coaster ride that Thomas Tuchel had promised us.” The “Guardian” commented: “It was not an evening when Thomas Tuchel’s England made the hearts beat faster. But Tuchel’s big debut offered the most important thing: one victory.”
The English team determined the game for long distances, but rarely found gaps in the Albanian defense. “We struggled to get through on the last 60 to 80 meters,” said Tuchel. “But if we were through the defense, we were immediately dangerous.”
The 18-year-old Arsenal professional Myles Lewis-Skelly, who met in the 20th minute, met with his international debut in the 20th minute. “I lack the words,” the youngster later told the station ITV and thanked Tuchel for the trust they have placed in them. Bayern striker Harry Kane scored the second goal in the 77th minute. Shortly afterwards, many spectators already left the stadium.
Before the game, the English fans Tuchel welcomed with a large banner with the inscription “Welcome to the home of football, Thomas”. The former Chelsea coach described his debut in the sold-out Wembley Stadium with over 82,000 fans as great experience.
On Monday, England will again meet Latvia in the next World Cup qualification game in the Wembley Stadium.