England news: What Thomas Tuchel’s first two games have told us about the squad

The first international break of the Thomas Tuchel reign has been a successful one for England, beating Albania and Latvia to begin their World Cup Qualifying campaign.

While the Three Lions would have expected to come out on top in both of those games, the manner of the victories should excite the nation as they had more than 70% possession in each game and created nine big chances across the two matches.

England also managed to reduce the threat of counter-attacks, limiting their opponents to just three shots each.

Despite still being in the early stages of the Tuchel era, there are plenty of talking points about the squad selection going forward, with some players exceeding expectations.

Sports News Blitz writer Dylan Richardson has identified five of the key areas of discussion following the German’s first two games in charge of the Three Lions.

Is Reece James the answer at right-back?

It is no secret that England have been spoilt for choice in the right-back position for years, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Reece James, Tino Livramento, and Ben White all being able to argue that they should be the number one.

Previous manager Gareth Southgate predominantly opted for Walker at right-back during competition football, but Kieran Trippier also shared minutes with the AC Milan defender.

For Tuchel, Walker started at right-back in his opening game against Albania. 

While the 34-year-old was solid in that game, the performance of James against Latvia could well have put him into contention for that starting right-back spot.

James, who was managed by Tuchel at Chelsea, was a huge presence for the Three Lions in the attacking third, pushing really high up the pitch down that right flank, completing 96 out of his 97 pass attempts.

The 25-year-old left his mark on the game in the first half, scoring a lovely free-kick in the 38th minute.

As well as contributing ably to the attack, James was also very competent defensively, making two tackles and two interceptions while winning two of four ground duels.

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Could Ezri Konsa be a long-term regular for England?

Konsa was one of the seven players to start the first two games for Tuchel, along with some of the other key players.

England have their injury problems in defence, with John Stones and Harry Maguire missing from the squad.

In the opening match against Albania, the Aston Villa centre-back started alongside Dan Burn.

As a pair, the two were really solid together in the first half but when Everton forward Armando Broja came on for Albania in the second half, it was Konsa who really stepped up, making a few key blocks and tackles, earning himself the starting spot in the right-hand side of the centre-back partnership.

Against Latvia, Tuchel paired the 27-year-old alongside Marc Guehi, who was arguably England’s best player during last year’s European Championships.

Once again though, it was Konsa who shone, winning seven out of his 10 ground duels, while also completing 90 of 92 pass attempts.

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Has Myles Lewis-Skelly solved England’s left-back issues?

Where England have been loaded with talent in the right-back position for years, the left-back position left a lot to be desired during Southgate’s time as England manager, with Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell never being able to stay fit consistently.

Now though, the Three Lions arguably have two of the best young left-backs in world football, with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall having had impressive breakthroughs this season.

Tino Livramento, 22, could also occupy the left-back position if need be, starring there for Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

However, with Hall’s injury keeping him out for the rest of the season, Tuchel opted for Lewis-Skelly to join Konsa in starting both games over the international break.

It did not take long for the 18-year-old to make his mark on the biggest stage, scoring just 20 minutes into his England debut, winning all three of his ground duels, and having a pass completion rate of 93%.

It was also nice to see the young defender trusted so much with the ball, having 180 touches across the two matches.

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The attacking midfield dilemma

There is another selection headache for Tuchel in the attacking midfield area, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Morgan Rogers all fighting for that traditional ‘10’ spot.

That’s not to mention Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who withdrew from the squad this time round due to injury.

Bellingham started the first match against Albania in that attacking midfield spot but dropped back into the heart of midfield alongside Declan Rice against Latvia on Monday night.

With Eze scoring and Rogers impressing, playing Bellingham in a deeper role may be the solution for this.

The versatility of these players will help not only England but themselves too, as the majority of those mentioned can all play out wide if called upon.

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Are the wingers still lacking a bit of bravery?

Tuchel himself said that England lacked bravery in the Euros last summer, particularly in the winger spots, and most fans agreed.

While the 51-year-old tried to combat this by recalling Marcus Rashford to the squad and calling up Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon, it still felt for large periods of time that there was a reluctance to run at full-backs with any real conviction.

Rashford only completed four dribbles across the two games, while Foden and Bowen did not complete a single dribble.

Gordon only played 15 minutes in the first game before going down with a hip injury that inevitably kept him out of the encounter against Latvia but even in his limited game time, he didn’t look as electric as he is at club level.

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