Thomas Tuchel also gets a win in his second game with England. After the success against Latvia, Harry Kane raves about the new coach. The English press, on the other hand, is less euphoric.
25.03.2025, 12:15
25.03.2025, 12:26
SDA
It's no secret that Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel get on well. But the extent to which the England captain raved about the new coach's perfect debut came as a surprise. "Thomas Tuchel is fantastic, it was right from the start," said the Bayern Munich star striker, praising his former club coach. "It's fun to work with him. He has brought passion."
On Monday evening, the Three Lions won 3-0 against Latvia in the World Cup qualifiers, their second win in their second game under Tuchel. The 51-year-old's new team is therefore fully on course for the 2026 World Cup. However, home games against the underdogs Albania (2:0) and Latvia were hardly real yardsticks.
Much criticism from the media
Unlike England's record goalscorer, the notoriously caustic and rarely satisfied English press was highly critical. According to the BBC, the laborious victory showed that Tuchel's desired change "will not be a quick fix - because it was more of the old, plodding England seen so often under Southgate".
For the Daily Star, the World Cup still seems a long way off for Tuchel's "sleepy Lions" after a "frustrating evening". Tuchel's England have been "dull and sluggish", wrote the Daily Mail: "Little has changed since Gareth Southgate's departure".
The Sun headlined that Reece James' dream goal "spared the former Bayern head coach's blushes as the Three Lions struggled to beat the 140th-ranked outsiders".
Tuchel partly satisfied
Indeed, England had struggled because Latvia defended very deep and left hardly any space. "I'm very pleased with the attitude, the energy and the will. We're on the right track," said Tuchel. "It wasn't an easy game."
First of all, a free-kick had to be used, which James beautifully curled into the goal in the 38th minute to the delight of his coach. "I know Reece, and the quality of this boy is incredible," enthused Tuchel. Kane (68) and Eberechi Eze (76) ensured the final score was a fitting one.
