It was never going to be about the win. It had been inevitable for England against the team ranked 140 in the world. Is this the famous English arrogance? Maybe. What it was always going to be about was the manner of the victory. Whether there were any signs of Thomas Tuchel getting his messages across, sprinkling his magic.
It was easy to enjoy the Mexican wave rippling around Wembley in the 75th minute, shortly after Harry Kane had made it 2-0 and just before Eberechi Eze, on as a substitute, made a few stepovers and watched his shot deflect in off the Latvia captain, Antonijs Cernomordijs, for No 3. It was Eze’s first England goal.
There had been a lovely moment towards the end of the first half, Reece James curling home a stunning 25-yard free-kick. It was his first start for England since September 2022 and his first international goal, too.
Yet it was a mixed bag for Tuchel’s team. It is never ideal when the onus is on England to break down ultra‑defensive opponents. There were spells in the opening 45 minutes and pretty much all of the first half of the second period when England were predictable in possession, lacking tempo. They took too many touches. It all felt underwhelming and unsatisfactory.
Jude Bellingham was lucky not to be dismissed for a second yellow card, which would have put an entirely different complexion on the night. His lunge into Raivis Jurkovskis in the 56th minute was emblematic of the frustration that had started to take hold. It was the kind of rush of blood that England dread in a major tournament tie.
It was a game that many of those present had watched on loop throughout their lives: England in a Wembley qualifier against compact, 11‑men‑behind-the-ball minnows. They are difficult to analyse; to do much more than shrug afterwards and move on. Tuchel can reflect on a solid enough start, taking in the 2-0 win against Albania here last Friday. It most certainly has not been spectacular.
Tuchel had turned the dial with his selection, giving Morgan Rogers his full debut in one of the No 10 positions; Bellingham was in the other. Call them half 10s or double 10s. Tuchel’s tactical language is infectious. Rogers was a plus point.
The first half was attritional, too congested for England’s liking. Tuchel has talked about bringing Premier League levels of intensity but that was in short supply. His players struggled to move the ball with sufficient speed.
James made an erratic start, looking too hyped up. The right-back banged his shoulder into Andrejs Ciganiks in an aerial challenge and was fortunate to escape a booking. He overhit a cross. He looked a little vulnerable defensively. But it was overtaken on 38 minutes by the purity of his free-kick technique. James could not have placed the ball any more accurately into the top corner if he had stood on the line and done so with his hands.
England had a weird moment on 18 minutes when Jordan Pickford raced from his line and unnerved Marc Guéhi, who was running back with Vladislavs Gutkovskis. Guéhi touched the ball away from the goalkeeper and the Latvia No 9 could see an empty net, albeit from a tight angle. He could not find it.
Apart from that, it was England’s attack against Latvia’s massed defence. Marcus Rashford had got the memo to take on his man; he was positive, although the end product consistently eluded him. He might have had a penalty only he went down too easily when Roberts Savalnieks challenged him. Jarrod Bowen should have had one when the goalkeeper, Krisjanis Zviedris, went into him after dropping a high ball. It was a surprise when the VAR did not agree.
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England ought to have had more by half-time, with the big miss coming from Bellingham and then Ezri Konsa. Bellingham rose unmarked to meet a corner only to fluff the header. When the ball broke, Konsa’s shot was brilliantly turned over by Zviedris.
As always, the fans turned out in their droves and they were entitled to expect some entertainment. They ought not to have needed to provide it themselves with their paper planes.
Bellingham felt the red mist come down. He had been booked at the end of the first half after stamping into Dmitrijs Zelenkovs. Which only made his full-blooded slide challenge into Jurkovskis risky to say the least. Bellingham got none of the ball and he crashed into the man, catching him with his trailing knee. The referee, Orel Grinfeeld, chose to spare him.
Kane stirred his team around the midway point of the second half. He was narrowly off target after a move involving Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bellingham. He was then on target at the far post, turning home after Declan Rice had surged on to a Rogers pass to cross. England could have had more by the end, Rogers going close more than once. Tuchel has plenty to ponder.
Source: theguardian.com
