Thomas Tuchel secured a second successive victory as England head coach in their World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley – but it was a slog rather than a thrill ride before they made their superiority count.
England, as against Albania in Tuchel’s opening game, were frustrated for long periods by the country ranked 140th in the world, before dominance was transformed into goals.
Chelsea captain Reece James celebrated his first England start since September 2022 by curling in a superb free-kick from 20 yards seven minutes before half-time.
England then struggled to add to the scoreline in the face of Latvia’s stubborn resistance until captain Harry Kane turned in his 71st goal in 105 international appearances from Declan Rice’s cross after 68 minutes.
As Latvia finally ran out of steam and resistance, substitute Eberechi Eze scored his first England goal with a deflected shot 14 minutes from time.
In picking up three points, Tuchel became the first England men’s manager to win his first two competitive games since Fabio Capello in 2008.
England’s victory margin was eventually a convincing one, but they made life hard for themselves before finally putting away a side 136 places below them in the world rankings.
It was no surprise that England’s vast superiority and fitness finally proved all too much, despite the visitors’ determined defence.
Once Kane doubled England’s advantage midway through the second half, it became even more of a damage limitation exercise for Latvia, who adopted the same strategy as Albania here on Friday by building a very low block and seeing how long it survived.
The fact that is did for so long was not just a testimony to their determination, but also England’s bad habit of firing in aimless crosses, while failing to move the ball quickly and decisively in danger areas.
Tuchel kept faith with Rashford on the left, while replacing Phil Foden with West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen on the right, but once again the new head coach would surely have expected more from the wide positions.
The six-point haul was fully expected from Tuchel’s first two games against such opposition, and he will be satisfied with two clean sheets, but it will prove a highly valuable exercise in informing him where England must improve if they are to fulfil his single mission – which is to win the 2026 World Cup at the conclusion of his 18-month contract.
Tuchel is a huge admirer of James, who was a key element of his Chelsea side that won the Champions League in 2021.
And the German confirmed this by bringing the 25-year-old defender straight into his first England squad as soon as he was confident of his return to fitness following the latest in a succession of serious hamstring injuries.
James also wasted no time in proving his quality, albeit against low calibre opposition, with a display of physical power and quality that will stake a serious claim for England’s right-back slot.
He is the identikit player and personality Tuchel wants to build his England around, with the physicality that makes him comfortable at the elite levels, but also the technical ability.
James demonstrated what he can offer with an early challenge that left a Latvian dazed then, more significantly, with the perfectly delivered free-kick that finally broke the deadlock just as England were starting to show their frustrations.
If James can stay fit, Tuchel is likely to make him a central figure in his bid to win the World Cup next year.-BBC
