Although the Three Lions maintained their flawless run in World Cup qualifying, the victory was far from dazzling. Continue Reading
An early own goal gave England the lead, and Declan Rice added a second midway through the second half to secure the result.
Tuchel expressed satisfaction with the overall outcome, but his comments hinted at frustration with certain individual performances. Meanwhile, pundit Roy Keane offered a more critical take, suggesting the display lacked sharpness and urgency.
Keane said: “I still think England fell back into their old ways tonight, certainly in the second half. Sideways, backwards passes.
“We saw their two goals, particularly the second one, just from a cross. They’ve got to cross it a bit more, don’t complicate the game. And I still think they go backwards too many times.”
While Tuchel was pleased with his team’s overall performance, despite Keane’s criticism, the German also insisted there is work to be done, with two Arsenal players failing to make the desired impact on proceedings.
Speaking after the game, the Three Lions boss said: “We missed the little moments to accelerate the game. Maybe Ebs had not his best day in the No 10 position. He trained so well. In the decision-making, struggled a little bit.
“The last pass from Noni was not clinical enough.”
Eze struggled to make an impact in England’s win over Andorra, registering just 38 touches and failing to produce any meaningful attacking moments.
His subdued performance has drawn criticism, and given the stats, it’s not entirely unjustified.
To put things in perspective, Morgan Gibbs-White, who came on for Eze in the 78th minute, managed 25 touches in his brief appearance, nearly matching Eze’s involvement in a fraction of the time.
While Eze’s showing left much to be desired, it seems unfair to direct similar scrutiny toward Noni Madueke.
The Arsenal winger was one of the few bright spots in England’s lineup, delivering the cross that led to Christian Garcia’s own goal and showing consistent involvement throughout the match.
Madueke completed 46 of his 53 passes, executed two successful dribbles, and won five duels. He did miss a clear scoring opportunity, but overall, his contribution stood out in an otherwise flat team performance.
With Bukayo Saka sidelined until at least October, Mikel Arteta will be counting on Madueke to maintain this level of form — though there’s a chance Saka could return to action before the month ends.
