"We have to do better": Tuchel dissatisfied despite successful debut

"A fantastic player": Thomas Tuchel (right) on debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly. IMAGO/Shutterstock

Thomas Tuchel 's appointment as national coach at the end of last year was met with considerable skepticism in the motherland of football: The fact that Gareth Southgate 's successor came from Germany, of all places, was not pleasing to many fans and media representatives. But the closer Tuchel's debut drew, the more these reservations gave way to hope that the 51-year-old would again provide more exciting football than under Southgate, under whom Germany had reached the European Championship final – albeit at the expense of entertainment.

However, the confident, albeit lackluster , 2-0 victory over Albania demonstrated that this still requires some time, especially since not all of Tuchel's processes can be perfected after just a few training sessions. "Only four days of training together, we have to keep working and get used to what he wants from us," said midfielder Declan Rice after his coach's successful debut.

Against a defensively minded opponent, the Three Lions controlled the game throughout, but they rarely had any big chances. After just under 20 minutes, debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly put his team in the lead, but it took them a long time to extend their already uncomfortable lead.

"We can do better, we must do better," Tuchel said after the match on ITV , explaining: "In the second half, I think we were too slow and overall we didn't make enough runs without the ball to get behind the line." His team's game did indeed lack pace for long stretches, so it took Harry Kane a fine solo effort in the final quarter of an hour to score the 2-0 goal – and thus clinch the victory.

The 51-year-old coach also had special praise for his youngest player on the pitch. Even beyond his goal, Arsenal left-back Lewis-Skelly delivered a composed performance in his first international match. The 18-year-old is "a fantastic player, an incredible personality. He came to the training camp and immediately showed that it's normal to fall in love with him. He truly deserves it," Tuchel enthused.

Rice was also enthusiastic about Lewis-Skelly: "He's fearless. He does everything right off the field, and he's only 18. I knew he'd play like that tonight because of his confidence. He's kept his feet on the ground, and this is just the beginning for him." And what did the highly praised player actually have to say about it? He was quite stunned after the game. "I'm at a loss for words. I'm so grateful to the coach for his confidence in me. I'm so happy."

The English team now faces their next qualifying match against Latvia on Monday. Will the fans at Wembley Stadium be treated to a bit more entertainment then?