England vs Albania LIVE: Thomas Tuchel takes cost of first recreation at Wembley
England take on Albania at Wembley in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge. The German coach has been appointed on an 18-month contract through to the 2026 World Cup and England begin that journey as their qualifying campaign gets underway.
Tuchel has wasted no time explaining where England fell short under Gareth Southgate, saying that he felt the team were “afraid” during last summer’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. “I want us to play with excitement and the hunger and desire to win,” Tuchel said. “And the acceptance of failure is part of it, especially in football.”
Tuchel arrives with an impressive CV, that includes winning the Champions League with Chelsea, and made a number of eye-catching calls when naming his first squad, including a recall for former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Now all eyes are on Tuchel’s first England line-up, with Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final hero Dan Burn and Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly making their debuts alongside a recalled Marcus Rashford, as the Three Lions look to hit the ground running in their World Cup qualifying group.
Follow live updates from Wembley ahead of Tuchel’s first game in charge, below:
England 0-0 Albania
4 mins: After a period of two to three minutes on the ball, Walker clips a pass to Bellingham, who breaks into the box. It almost falls to the Real Madrid star but Albania clear.
England 0-0 Albania
2 mins: Plenty of early touches for the England midfield, with Jones, Rice and Bellingham seeing lots of it. Albania are very deep. Foden and Rashford are staying wide, and Kane is keeping clear on the edge of the box.
England 0-0 Albania
1 min: Albania are no mugs. They scored after just 30 seconds against Italy at the Euros. Fortunately for Tuchel, England have avoided that at Wembley. Pickford takes an early free kick long.
KICK-OFF! England 0-0 Albania
We are underway at Wembley! The Thomas Tuchel era has started.
England vs Albania
A banner behind one of the goals reads:
“Welcome to the home of football, Thomas”.
England vs Albania team news and how to watch
England XI: Pickford, Walker, Konsa, Burn, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Bellingham, Jones; Foden, Kane, Rashford
Subs: D Henderson,Trafford, James, Guehi, J Henderson, Colwill, Eze, Rogers,Gordon, Solanke, Bowen, Livramento.
England vs Albania will be shown live on ITV 1 and ITV X
Thomas Tuchel explains his first England team and describes his emotions
“Big occasion. I’m a bit nervous, but more excited and happy we get the journey going.
“It was a simple decision to bring [Dan Burn] in. He had that huge final and impact here a few days ago. We didn’t wasnt to disrupt his wave. We opted for Dan and he was impressive in training and vocal.
“It felt like his 50th cap and not his first one.
Impressive. I understand why everyone loves the boy [Myles Lewis-Skelly] – a big character and very talented player. He is ready to go.”
England vs Albania
Here we go! Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge is just moments away. Tuchel will observe the anthems, which are next.
Thomas Tuchel makes national anthem vow
Thomas Tuchel said last week that he feels he has to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, so won’t do so for his first England games.
The new manager says he wants to get to the point where supporters feel “he should sing it now, he’s one of our own”.
Inside Thomas Tuchel’s grand plan – and the reason England hired him
One of the first things England’s young players noticed was how much Thomas Tuchel likes a laugh. He made them feel at ease. It’s an attitude that comes in handy for a question he was always going to get. England’s new German manager was naturally asked about 1966, and the manner of the men’s national team’s only ever trophy victory. Did Geoff Hurst’s second goal cross the line?
“There is still debate,” Tuchel chuckles. “I don’t think so but there was no VAR at this time so it stands!”
As good-humoured as all of this was, it should be acknowledged other managers would panic about saying something diplomatic. Tuchel just goes with it, knowing not to take certain aspects too seriously, because he saves that for the actual work. Duly, the atmosphere around training can instantly go from relaxed to intense
There is a deeper reason for that, too.
