England began the Thomas Tuchel era with a 2-0 win over Albania in World Cup qualifying, featuring goals by Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane. Tuchel criticized the team for appearing fearful during Euro 2024 and aimed to implement a more physical style of play. Despite having a significant advantage in possession and shots, the team's urgency diminished after gaining the lead. With only four days of preparation, Tuchel's influence will grow over time, suggesting that immediate changes may not be expected.
Thomas Tuchel's had the squad for three days - you can't expect to see a different England team." said former Three Lions midfielder Leon Osman on BBC Radio 5 Live. "We won the football match. Once we got ahead there was no urgency. We want to be entertained. There is a certain element of control which is good in tournament football. At the minute we're not in a tournament, we want to be entertained.
Before the game, Tuchel created plenty of headlines when he said England looked like they had played with fear at Euro 2024 under his predecessor Gareth Southgate. He also suggested he wanted them to play Premier League-style physical football.
England had 74% of the ball and 12 shots to Albania's three - with the hosts recording all six efforts on target in the game. In the opening 45 minutes they completed 437 passes, the most on Opta's records of any England first half.
It was hard for England to show either intensity or pressing against a team who set up as defensively as Albania, especially in the first half.
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