England manager Thomas Tuchel demands greater performance from his team despite victory against Albania.

Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that a lacklustre England must “do better” after he began his tenure with a less-than-impressive 2-0 victory over minnows Albania on Friday.

Tuchel had expected to celebrate his debut with an energetic performance in England’s first World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

However, the team struggled to showcase the flair Tuchel had insisted upon earlier in the week, claiming they were “afraid” to lose during their inconsistent journey to the Euro 2024 final under his predecessor Gareth Southgate.

Myles Lewis-Skelly repaid Tuchel’s trust by netting a composed goal in the 20th minute, making his debut one to remember.

England captain Harry Kane sealed the win with a precise strike in the 77th minute.

Despite the win, there were long periods of monotonous sideways passing from the hosts, who found it challenging to break through Albania’s solid defence, leading Tuchel to admit their performance had fallen short of his expectations.

“We can do better; we must do better,” Tuchel stated. “The opponent was difficult to break down as they defended in a deep block. However, in the second half, I felt we were too slow.

“Overall, we did not make enough runs off the ball to penetrate their defence. Some of the players appeared to have heavy legs; I sensed a bit of fatigue.

“We will improve; we will find our rhythm. I will get to know the players better and understand why we struggle to make more runs in the final third.

“It’s a gradual process. We will review footage and ensure we find effective solutions.”

‘We lost confidence’

Tuchel had called on England to mirror the intensity and attacking spirit of the top Premier League teams, rather than letting the fear of failure affect them as it has at times during Southgate’s tenure.

Yet, the German discovered that changing England’s approach would require more than just an inspiring address.

“We aimed to boost the rhythm and risk-taking in the second half. However, we were not disciplined enough in our structure. We attempted too much individually, which slowed our game,” he remarked.

“You want to witness an open match. I understand it’s not the most thrilling spectacle, but we still needed to execute what was necessary.”

As England’s third non-British manager, Tuchel noted the lack of effectiveness from wingers Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden as indicative of the team’s struggles.

“Both wingers who started did not have the same impact as they usually do for their clubs,” said the German, who watched Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon suffer a hip injury that did not “look good.”

“They didn’t exert the influence we expected from them. We lacked runs off the ball.

“There was excessive passing without enough forward movement. We need to be more aggressive towards the goal.”

Looking forward to Monday’s match against Latvia, Tuchel hopes that Lewis-Skelly’s remarkable debut—making him the youngest player to score on his England debut—can inspire his teammates.

“An incredible player with an amazing personality. He arrived at camp and instantly won everyone over. His achievement is well deserved,” Tuchel praised.