What Thomas Tuchel said about Phil Foden, Myles Lewis-Skelly and England's performance

Thomas Tuchel expects significant improvement from England after overseeing a 2-0 win over Albania in his first match as Three Lions boss.

Myles Lewis-Skelly's debut finish and Harry Kane's 70th England goal ensured the Euro 2024 finalists made a winning start to their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.

Despite the relative ease in which England claimed three points, the passiveness which had plagued Gareth Southgate's tenure remained and while the team were effective in retaining possession, the minimal attacking output was a concern for Tuchel.

What Thomas Tuchel said about England's performance

England encountered a stubborn Albanian low block, and despite the visitors lacking an appetite to commit numbers forward - even when they were trailing - Tuchel felt England required more innovation in the opposition half.

"We can do better, we have to do better," Tuchel told ITV. "We started well, we had seven or eight minutes with 100% ball possession with a lot of passes and high energy.

"The opponent is hard to break down as they defend in a deep block. In the Euros [last year] they managed to not concede chances.

"Second half, I felt we were too slow and in general not enough runs off the ball to get behind the line."

What Thomas Tuchel said about Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford

Tuchel opted to utilise Marcus Rashford on the left wing, while Phil Foden operated on the right flank, a position which will most likely be filled by Bukayo Saka upon his return from injury.

Foden has failed to scale the heights that saw him named PFA Player of the Year last season and the Manchester City midfielder struggled to muster any meaningful impact on the contest at Wembley.

Quizzed on the contributions of both Foden and Rashford, Tuchel said: "Both of our wingers that started were not as impactful as they can be or as they are in club football.

"At the moment I'm not so sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them, to bring the ball in more [of an] open position to them, I need to review the match.

"We lacked a bit of runs off the ball, so it was a bit too much passing and not enough dribbling. Not aggressive enough towards goal.

"They were very good in the last weeks in their clubs. We will keep encouraging them and give them a structure so they can show their potential."

What Thomas Tuchel said about Myles Lewis-Skelly

While there was a sense of unfulfillment in Tuchel's reaction to the way England performed, the German couldn't hide his delight at Lewis-Skelly's first showing in a Three Lions shirt.

The Arsenal left-back enjoyed a tremendous debut which was capped off by a neat finish between the legs of Thomas Strakoshka to give England the lead, and Tuchel gave an effusive response when asked for his thoughts on Lewis-Skelly.

"Amazing player," Tuchel added. "Amazing personality. He came into camp and showed straight away that it's normal to fall in love with him.

"It is well deserved."