Thomas Tuchel says he is “absolutely convinced” England are moving in the right direction under his management despite another laboured performance in World Cup qualifying.
England secured a 2-0 victory over Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday thanks to a Christian Garcia own goal and a second-half header from Declan Rice. The result keeps Tuchel’s side perfect in competitive fixtures, with four wins from four, eight goals scored and none conceded.
The performance was far from fluent, however, with England once again struggling to break down a stubborn Andorra defence. The match followed a similar encounter in June when Tuchel was openly critical of his team after a narrow 1-0 win. On this occasion he was more positive.
“I liked the performance. It was a good performance, a solid performance against a low block,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “The second goal came too late to play with maybe 100 percent freedom that is needed to score more. We created a lot of chances but did not convert them. In general with the effort and attitude I am totally satisfied and it was a much better performance than in June.”
Statistically, England were less dominant than in the previous meeting. They recorded fewer shots, fewer big chances and fewer touches in the opposition box. Tuchel insisted, though, that an earlier second goal would have opened the floodgates.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach admitted he is still adapting to the demands of international football but remains confident. “There is a lot of learning for me. International football is so different to club football,” he said. “I am absolutely convinced that we are on the right path.”
England next return to training camp with Tuchel focused on building identity and connections within the squad.
