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Rating every England players’ performance against Albania, from Lewis-Skelly’s dream debut to disappointment for Burn and Foden.
England may have set the Thomas Tuchel era off to a winning start, but the 2-0 win over Albania on Friday evening wasn’t quite as comfortable as might have been hoped – and while a few players thrived, others struggled enough to suggest that Tuchel might be thinking of making some changes for the match against Latvia on Monday.
We’ve rated every England player that got onto the pitch against Albania below and looked at how likely they are to remain in the new manager’s plans:
The defence
Jordan Pickford – 6: While Albania had their moments in attack, they weren’t ultimately able to muster a single shot on target, meaning England’s number one had a pretty quiet evening. There was a concerning moment of confusion when both Pickford and Dan Burn got under each others’ feet while dealing with a high ball, but other than that the Everton goalkeeper was essentially a spectator.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 9: A dream debut for the 18-year-old left-back, who not only scored the opening goal with a well-timed run and composed finish, but demonstrated his maturity and confidence throughout, keeping the ball well and providing some excellent movement down the left flank. Injuries have offered Lewis-Skelly a golden opportunity to establish himself as a long-term contender for his role, and he nailed his first audition.
Dan Burn – 5: We pondered whether Burn had the technical qualities required for the international level before the game against Albania – we came away confident that he doesn’t. His limited passing range was evident throughout and Armando Broja, only just back from long-term injury, turned the Newcastle man inside out on three occasions. There was an excellent blocked shot in the first half and he was a real presence at set pieces, but while Lewis-Skelly looked like a long-term option after his debut, Burn looked unlikely to make it to North America next year, and may not start against Latvia.
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Ezri Konsa – 8: It was, perhaps, surprising that Marc Guéhi – England’s best defender over the course of the last two years – didn’t get a start, but Konsa proved his worth on and off the ball. He won every single one-on-one he got himself into, made a vital tackle on Broja to clean up after one of Burn’s errors, and completed 111 of 118 attempted passes as he kept possession ticking over nicely. Not every England fan is entirely convinced by Konsa, but Friday’s showing should go some way to settling any concerns.
Kyle Walker – 6: If Walker’s loan move to AC Milan has given him a new lease of life, it didn’t translate to the international stage. The former Manchester City man didn’t do much wrong, but wasn’t able to get involved in the final third as often as he might have done in the past. He’s a player who built his game around his startling pace – now that pace is fading, he’s still figuring out what his playing style should be. Reece James or Tino Livramento may get a go against Latvia.
The midfield
Declan Rice – 7: If we were rating Rice purely for his attacking contributions, his score would be much higher – the Arsenal man was immaculate on the ball, setting up Harry Kane’s goal, completing four of his five attempted crosses and teeing up several shooting chances with dangerous direct passes. His work out of possession was a little less stellar, however, and he made just one tackle while occasionally finding himself pulled out of position when trying to deal with Albania’s surprisingly effective counter-attacks through the middle of the field.
Curtis Jones – 6: Like Rice, the Liverpool man was culpable for letting too much slide past him through the centre of the field – he’s a fine passer and his ability to move play along was very much in evidence, but if Tuchel wants to play with anything resembling a double pivot then Jones will need to improve the defensive side of his game to keep that place in the long run. Jones also failed to make much of a dent around the penalty area, for all that he got into plenty of dangerous positions.
Jude Bellingham – 8: For the most part, Bellingham had a relatively quiet night, struggling to get into the game for spells and missing a couple of half-chances around the six-yard box – and while he worked hard off the ball, forcing a few turnovers, one could understand Tuchel’s gentle criticism of his positional discipline after the game. Still, none of that really matters when you have magic in your boots, and his sublime through ball to Lewis-Skelly for the opener was as good a pass as any of us will ever see.
The front three
Marcus Rashford – 6: Rashford started brightly, bringing some zip and pace to the attack with a couple of darting, dangerous runs, but didn’t maintain his forward momentum over the course of the match and ultimately only really created one good chance. There was no questioning his effort or industry, but perhaps there’s still a little rust to shake off despite a strong start to his loan spell at Villa Park. Don’t be shocked if he’s an impact sub on Monday evening.
Phil Foden – 5: The knives of popular opinion are out for Foden now, a brilliantly gifted player who has never really shone under Gareth Southgate – and he couldn’t find his club-level flair and cutting edge for Tuchel, either. It’s not so much that Foden was bad as much as he was anonymous. He’ll get more chances under Tuchel given his immense quality, and may well start against Latvia, but there’s only so long his international mediocrity can continue before he runs out of road.
Harry Kane – 8: Kane just keeps on scoring, game after game, and both his scoring record with Bayern Munich and his outstanding finish to wrap the game against Albania up suggest that he’s got plenty left in the tank after a disappointing showing at Euro 2024. His goal may have been helped by an Albanian defender launching himself in completely the wrong direction, but his patience to control it and the precision of his finish were undeniably superb.
Substitutes
Morgan Rogers – 5: It’s hard to judge a player on the strength of barely more than 15 minutes of football, but Rogers won’t be satisfied with his first attempt to impress Tuchel – he didn’t seem sure of his position or role and managed just six touches of the ball.
Jarrod Bowen – 6: Bowen looked determined to make something happen during his brief run out but couldn’t quite make a telling contribution, failing to complete a couple of attempted crosses and being just unable to get on the end of any telling through balls. May start against Latvia.
Anthony Gordon – 6: A typically scrappy cameo from the Newcastle man, albeit one without much threat in the final third. Gordon probably won’t feature on Monday, unfortunately, with an uncomfortable-looking hip injury which he sustained at the end of the game expected to sideline him.
Jordan Henderson & Reece James N/A: Neither Henderson nor James were on the pitch for long enough to provide a fair rating.