England Star Fails First Auditon for Thomas Tuchel With Woeful Display vs Albania
Callum Bishop
26 – 33 minutes
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It was a night of fresh starts and new beginnings at Wembley Stadium as Thomas Tuchel’s reign as England manager kicked off with a 2-0 win over Albania in their World Cup qualifier. The German had Myles Lewis-Skelly to thank as his goal saw him become the youngest debutant scorer in history, before Harry Kane wrapped up all three points.
Dan Burn also impressed on his first appearance for the national team, seeing a header cannon off the crossbar. There were also opportunities for the likes of Marcus Rashford to prove why they deserve to feature more frequently on his return. The same could also be said for Phil Foden, who started on the right-hand side, a position he struggled in under Gareth Southgate. And his performance got the Barmy Army talking.
England’s Phil Foden
Related
Is Phil Foden simply not suited to the England strategy or players around him to play to his strengths?
Phil Foden has 0 goals and 0 assists in the last 15 games for England. Foden’s last international G/A contribution came against Scotland on 12th September 2023. I feel that Phil Foden is a very specialised type of player that simply doesn’t fit in the England system and perhaps isn’t strong enough to prioritise his game over other players. What do people think?
Foden’s England Struggles Continue Under Tuchel
The attacking midfielder put on a muted display
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In the build-up to Tuchel’s first game, Foden was earmarked as a player the German could help improve and change the fortunes of, as his talent is undeniable, as proven by his 2023/24 PFA Player of the Year award. However, what fans were greeted with was more of the same.
All too often, the 24-year-old found himself in isolated positions out wide, failing to come inside where he is dangerous and playing simple backwards passes. He was marshalled well by the Albanian full-back and, as Lee Dixon mentioned on ITV commentary, there was not enough space for him to create moments where he is a bigger threat.
In the 74 minutes he played before being replaced by Jarrod Bowen, Foden managed 52 touches and played 45 passes—41 of which were successful. However, there was no sign of any attacking threat, with the playmaker creating no big chances and delivering just one cross, which didn’t find its intended target. Foden also failed to manage a shot all game and attempted just one dribble, in which he was dispossessed. He also lost the ball on nine occasions in what was a pretty poor first impression in front of his new coach, who will surely look to displace the forward with Bukayo Saka when he returns.
Foden
Fans were quick to pick up on Foden’s struggles on social media, making their feelings clear about the Manchester City star’s international future.
Thomas Tuchel and an England background.
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England Fans React to Foden Performance
Supporters made their feelings clear on the attacking midfielder
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Unsurprisingly, responses on social media were incredibly negative towards the City star, with many fans suggesting that he shouldn’t feature in such a prominent role for the Three Lions moving forward. One fan took to X to say: “Foden literally boils my blood, that guy is so useless,” while a second added “Foden’s just useless, like very very useless.”
A third said that “Foden shouldn’t be starting for England anymore,” a sentiment which was shared elsewhere as a fourth person said: “Foden is so bad. Why do we have to put up with this.” A fifth went as far as to say that Foden was “garbage for England,” as the mystery as to how to get the best at the clearly talented attacker in a white jersey lingers on for another manager to figure out.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Sofascore – accurate as of 21/03/2025.
