Former midfielder-turned-pundit Roy Keane, speaking on ITV’s coverage of England’s 2–0 win over Albania, insisted that one player is already in danger of losing his place under Thomas Tuchel following a performance of struggle at Wembley Stadium.
On Friday night, the Three Lions won 2–0 thanks to goals from debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly and the ever-dependable Harry Kane either side of the half-time interval. The former and Dan Burn both impressed, as did the talismanic Jude Bellingham.
But there were some players who somewhat failed their audition under the German tactician, widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football, given that, at points, it was a rather flat display against a lesser-talented nation in Albania.
Keane on Phil Foden's Struggles vs Albania
Before being substituted, the winger notched zero shots on target
As alluded to, it was a routine performance for the 1966 World Cup winners – but a handful of players were less than impressive – and that included 24-year-old superstar Phil Foden, who played 74 minutes on the right flank before being replaced by Jarrod Bowen.
Foden, who has struggled to pull up trees for Pep Guardiola’s men this season, was on the opposite flank to Marcus Rashford and failed to register a shot on target before making way for the aforementioned West Ham United marksman.
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Elsewhere, the winger notched 52 touches, a 91% (41/45) pass accuracy and a 0% cross and dribble accuracy. Speaking after England’s victory on home soil, Cork-born Keane – widely regarded as one of the hardest footballers of the Premier League era – said of the Manchester City winger:
“If you’re one of those attacking players and you’ve come off the pitch and dominated a game like that against a poor Albanian team and you’ve not scored a goal, not had a shot on target, you’ve not tested the goalkeeper, you’d be disappointed because you’re there to affect games."
You’ve got a new manager, and you want to make a good impression. Rashford and Foden certainly didn’t do that tonight. I think he [Foden] might be lacking in confidence, and he’s definitely off it. His club form is not great.
Following their display in the capital, Tuchel singled out Manchester-born duo Foden and Rashford for their aggressiveness – or lack thereof – on the flanks. “I think both of our wingers who started were not as impactful as they normally can be as they are in club football.”
I think we lacked a little bit of runs off the ball, a bit too much passing and not enough dribbling, not enough carrying and driving with the ball, and not aggressive enough towards goal.
Up next for Tuchel, who recently raised eyebrows with his comments regarding Gareth Southgate, and his entourage is their second 2026 World Cup qualifier. They play host to Paolo Nicolato’s Latvia on Monday evening as they look to better their position in Nations League Group K.
All statistics per Sofascore - correct as of 22/03/2025