Tuchel's Implicit Message Through Two "Three Lions" Debutants

LONDON, SATURDAY - The England national team began the era under coach Thomas Tuchel with a victory. Tuchel also provided debut opportunities for two defenders, Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who delivered impressive performances. From these debuts, a message from Tuchel to all English players was implied.

England effortlessly defeated the visiting team Albania 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, London, in the group stage qualification match for the 2026 World Cup, Saturday (22/3/2025) early morning WIB. England had numerous golden opportunities but managed to score only through contributions from Lewis-Skelly and team captain Harry Kane.

For Lewis-Skelly, the night felt truly perfect. After experiencing his debut by starting the match with England in his hometown, London, he also scored the opening goal for the hosts in the 20th minute. The Arsenal full-back managed to slip the ball through the goalkeeper's legs after receiving a through pass from Jude Bellingham.

According to Opta, Lewis-Skelly made history as the youngest English player to score on his debut (18 years and 176 days). He surpassed Marcus Rashford's record (18 years and 209 days). "I'm speechless. I'm very grateful to the manager for giving me this trust," he said.

Lewis-Skelly recently made his debut with Arsenal's senior team approximately six months ago. Although still relatively new, Tuchel admires the young player's quality and mentality. Coincidentally, England is currently facing a shortage of left-sided full-backs. Lewis-Skelly has even skipped the U-21 level to directly join the senior team.

Tuchel was initially uncertain when deciding to call up Lewis-Skelly. He was concerned that the call-up might be premature. However, that concern turned out to be unfounded. "An extraordinary player with an exceptional attitude. He came to the camp and immediately showed that it’s natural to like him," said Tuchel.

Burn also made his debut at Wembley. Interestingly, the Newcastle United defender played for England for the first time at the age of 32. His age is nearly double that of Lewis-Skelly. However, the scorer against Liverpool in the English League Cup final is still trusted due to his consistent performances this season.

The veteran was immediately featured as a starter, pairing with Ezri Konsa. Burn was chosen over other defenders who have frequently appeared in the national team, such as Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill. That trust was repaid with a clean sheet. He even nearly scored England's second goal, but his header hit the crossbar.

Burn is England's oldest debutant since Kevin Davies (33) in the win over Montenegro in October 2010. "I'm not just coming here to be a cheerleader. I want to play. I feel I've still got the ability to compete at international level. I've said that for a long time," he said.

From the debut of Lewis-Skelly and Burn who are about 14 years apart in age, Tuchel's message is implied. The German coach opens the door to all English players of all ages and backgrounds. The most important thing for Tuchel is ability and performance trends. No one is too young or old for him.

(Albania) are a tough opponent. They come with an unusual style. They can trouble teams like Spain, Croatia and Italy in the European Championship (2024).

That also applies to striker Marcus Rashford. After disappearing from the national team's radar for the past year, Rashford is back on the "Three Lions" first eleven. He is believed to have played more than 70 minutes. Rashford's performance has only improved since February 2025, after being loaned to Aston Villa.

In addition to Burn and Lewis-Skelly, Tuchel also celebrated his debut with the "Three Lions" in the match. He was quite satisfied with his team's performance even though it was not as expected. The coach expects more opportunities and goals from Kane and his colleagues with very dominant ball possession of up to 74.2 percent.

“(Albania) are a tough opponent. They come with an unusual style. They can trouble teams like Spain, Croatia and Italy in the European Championship (2024). We faced an opponent like that today, who have speed and physicality up front. We managed to win and not concede,” Tuchel explained.

Albania played very passively, even after falling behind. The visitors almost only defended in their own half, waiting for transition opportunities. They had threatened a few minutes after Everton striker Armando Broja was introduced. However, they were unable to produce a shot on target until the final whistle.

Although the result was very good, England's performance was not very entertaining because the opponent was extra defensive. "You want to see an open game. I understand it was not the most attractive game to watch, but that's what we needed (to start the qualifying round)," Tuchel concluded.

Tuchel's "Three Lions" show will continue at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday morning WIB. They will play the second match of Group K against Latvia. Rotation is very likely to be done by Tuchel. Several players have not been played, such as Eberechi Eze and Dominic Solanke. (AP/REUTERS)