Thomas Tuchel believes Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden are not having the impact they could have on the game

England head coach Thomas Tuchel says Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden know what he expects from them. Thomas Tuchel claimed the two players were not as influential as they once were following England's 2-0 win over Albania.  

The two players were replaced in the 74th minute by Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon in England's match against Albania after neither played to their best in the match. "I think Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden didn't perform as well as they do in club football," Thomas Tuchel said after England's first World Cup qualifier.  

"At this point, I don't know why we couldn't get the ball to them quicker or get it to more open areas. I need to review the game and come up with a strategy."  

Thomas Tuchel was asked if he had spoken to Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden about what he expects from them, and he said: “I have spoken to them and they know that I appreciate their effort, especially without the ball.  

“When we watched the game back, we could see how much more work they put into defending high up the pitch and counter-pressing. When we had the ball, Marcus Rashford made a lot of runs and we overlooked him and he was probably a little bit unlucky with the timing.  

"Despite that, they both have a positive attitude and know what we want from them. We would ideally try to get them into more one-on-ones and I think they have the confidence to go in there."  

“Phil Foden probably needs to work a little bit closer to the No.10, but we couldn’t provide that in this game. Marcus Rashford created a good chance for Bellingham but he made some runs without the ball when we didn’t use him. However, we still put in a lot of effort without the ball and that’s the most important thing.”  

"Nevertheless, the players' performance is still commendable and this victory can give them more confidence. However, we can strive to do better and there are some areas that need improvement, and we will focus on this."