Thomas Tuchel enjoyed a positive first camp as England boss but admits the World Cup qualification win against Latvia could have been turned “upside down” had Jude Bellingham been sent off.
The German head coach oversaw a 3-0 victory against the side ranked 140th in the world at Wembley, where Reece James opened the scoring, and his international account, with a fantastic first-half free-kick.
Skipper Harry Kane’s 71st goal for England and substitute Eberechi Eze’s first completed Monday’s victory against Latvia after Tuchel withdrew Bellingham having avoided a second yellow card.
The Real Madrid star was booked for a foul on Dmitrijs Zelenkovs as half-time approached and avoided another shortly after the restart for a mistimed challenge on Raivis Jurkovskis.
England boss Tuchel told ITV they “were a bit lucky” with the second decision and said in the press conference: “I don’t know if he was fortunate (to avoid a red).
“I think the first one was a bit harsh because I felt that he was dribbling and suddenly we had a yellow card.
“We had some nasty fouls from the opponent, where the referee just decided to look away. It felt a bit strange that we go into a half-time with a yellow card and then none of our opponents (did) but OK.
“And, yeah, the second one, I think it was possible, it felt that it was possible. It would have been harsh but it would have put the game upside down.
“Of course, straight away, we decided to take him out, got Phil (Foden) ready and changed him.
“I think, like in general, you could see today the huge effort that Jude put in in the first game (against Albania). I think you could see he did not feel so fresh. That was my observation, I’m not sure if he will agree.
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“With the substitution, he was getting stronger and stronger again, but I didn’t want to take the risk and took him off.”
Latvia boss Paolo Nicolato downplayed the Bellingham incident, saying it would not have changed “the big picture” given his unfancied side were up against the Euro 2024 runners-up.
Tougher tests are to come for England but Tuchel was pleased with a positive first camp featuring Group K wins against Albania and then Latvia.
“Very happy because of the players mainly,” the England boss said. “The staff were amazing, the organisation of the camp was absolute top but the players made the difference.
“Of course, like always, they reminded me instantly why I was excited about the job – because of these players, top characters, very good group.
“I think we had some excellent days on the pitch, but also off the pitch. Good energy and a very positive atmosphere from the start.
“Everyone wants to give his best. Everyone is proud to play for England, to be in the starting 11, wants to come on. It was a good atmosphere, good start.
“I think we need exactly these kind of matches, even in the tension of a World Cup qualifier, and also in the tension that not everything falls into place from the first minute.
“To get to know each other better, to learn from each other and yeah, that’s the big takeaway.
“There is still room to improve but overall we have two wins, two clean sheets. We did not allow any big chances in two matches, so there’s a lot of positives to take away and still room to improve. It’s good stuff.”
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