After highlighting [poor performances](https://fromthespot.co.uk/17655/not-as-impactful-as-they-can-be-tuchel-highlights-players-that-need-to-improve-after-england-open-world-cup-qualifying-with-a-win/) from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden during his first game as England boss against Albania on Friday, Thomas Tuchel insisted that _“the effort was there and that’s what counts.”_
The 51-year-old German told reporters in his post-match press conference following a [2-0 win over the _Shqiperi_](https://fromthespot.co.uk/17649/england-2-0-albania-lewis-skelly-scores-on-england-debut-as-tuchel-era-gets-underway-at-wembley/) that _“both of our wingers who started were not as impactful as they can be,”_ and on Sunday, he confirmed that he has _“spoken to both of them, also in front of the group”_.
Diving into more detail, Tuchel suggested that Rashford found good positions throughout the match when England were in possession – but accepted that _“from time to time, we oversaw him.”_
_“Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball, where we did not see him, where we did not use him. He was a little bit unlucky maybe with the timing.”_
As for Foden on the opposite flank, Tuchel commented that the Manchester City star is _“maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have.”_
_“Phil needs maybe a little bit closer connections to a No 10 than we could provide in this match. And Marcus created one big chance for Jude Bellingham, and, like I said, had some runs off the ball where we did not use him.”_
_“But, off the ball, the effort was there and that’s what counts.”_
Tuchel, who is now preparing for a clash with Latvia on Monday, confirmed that _“at the moment, no one will be dropped from a performance point of view. We did what was needed. We can do better and have stuff to improve and we will focus on that. If we think some fresh legs can help then we’re not shy to do it. But no one needs to be dropped because he’s not good enough.”_
_“But it’s also not a problem to change because we have some players who really deserve to play and it would be also nice to see them perform and to give them the confidence.”_
England’s meeting with Latvia at Wembley Stadium gets underway at 19:45 GMT on Monday, 24 March.