Thomas Tuchel is calling for more impact from Marcus Rashford in an England shirt.Thomas Tuchel is calling for more impact from Marcus Rashford in an England shirt.
Thomas Tuchel is calling for more impact from Marcus Rashford in an England shirt. | Getty Images
Marcus Rashford was included in the starting line-up for England’s 2-0 win over Albania
Thomas Tuchel kickstarted his England career with a 2-0 victory over Albania but insists his team must improve while firing criticism at Aston Villa loanee Marcus Rashford for his lack of output in the final third.
The former Chelsea boss held nothing back in his pre match press conference when he said that England were “more afraid” of defeat at the 2024 European Championship rather than “having the excitement and hunger to win it.”
Hide Ad
And in his latest interview, he continued to push for improvements by accusing his team of a lack of discipline in the second half while adding that he was unimpressed with the wide players as Rashford alongside Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden failed to seize a chance to hit the ground running in the new era.
Thomas Tuchel criticises Marcus Rashford for lack of impact
Speaking after securing his first victory as Three Lions boss, Thomas Tuchel said: “We hope for more impact in these positions. More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line. They were not as decisive as they can be.”
Tuchel was asked about Phil Foden’s lack of confidence in an England shirt and his overall output for the Three Lions which is significantly less than the numbers he puts out in a Manchester City shirt.
The German said: “We will encourage him to do what he does best, to go at defenders, to go into dribbles.” He went on to add Rashford back into the discussion. “Both our wingers who started were not as impactful as they can be in club football. I’m not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quickly to them.
Hide Ad
“We lacked runs off the ball. It was a little bit too much passing, not enough dribbling, not aggressive enough towards goal. They trained very well, they were decisive in training. That’s why I also think they deserved [to start], they were very good in the last weeks with their clubs. We will keep on encouraging them.”
England’s start to their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup was sparked by a debut goal from Myles Lewis-Skelly and a late strike from Harry Kane.
Marcus Rashford earns mixed reviews on England return
Marcus Rashford made his first appearance for England since a 1-0 loss to Brazil 12 months ago but didn’t quite grasp the opportunity in the way he would have wanted.As such, the Guardian gave him a 6/10 for his performance with the description: “Eager to impress on his first cap in almost a year. Made a chance for Bellingham but other runs did not quite come off.”
Mail Sport, however, were slightly less critical of the Villa man. They scored him a 6.5/10 and said: “A pleasing display for the Villa loanee but Rashford’s first touch let him down several times. Clearly playing with confidence, though.” The Yorkshire Post even went as far to give Rashford a 7/10 for his display describing him as “lively without making it count.”
Hide Ad
TalkSport’s Adrian Durham meanwhile gave Rashford one of the lowest ratings of any outlet by giving the ex-Manchester United man a 5/10.
Read More: Aston Villa's mighty Champions League prize money haul so far - and how much more they can still win