England 3-0 Latvia: What Were The Main Talking Points As The Three Lions Open Their Qualifying Adventure With Consecutive Wins?

While England might have once again failed to find top gear for sustained periods on Monday night, the Three Lions did cruise their way to a 3-0 victory against Latvia at Wembley.

With Thomas Tuchel’s new squad failing to find a breakthrough against a team currently ranked 140th in the world, the former Chelsea boss cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

However, despite their sluggish exploits in the final third, it was Chelsea skipper Reece James who opened the scoring thanks to a delicious free-kick from 20 yards just minutes before the half-time break.

With Latvia’s rugged defence visibly running out of energy as the match went on, Harry Kane finally double England’s lead as the Bayern Munich marksman notched his 71st international strike after 68 minutes.

There was time for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze to record a maiden international goal as the one-time QPR starlet saw his deflected effort add a generous third strike for the Three Lions.

Although the European giants might have won by a convincing three-goal margin in north London, they made life hard for themselves before finally putting away a side 136 places below them in the world rankings.

On a night when England breezed their way to consecutive qualifying victories, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Wembley.

What will Tuchel make of his start to life at Wembley?

While Tuchel might have officially been appointed as Gareth Southgate’s permeant successor back in October, the former Chelsea boss opted to delay his arrival in north London until England got their World Cup qualifying campaign underway this month.

Although Kane might have spoken positively about the German tactician following Monday’s 3-0 victory, Tuchel will know that his new squad failed to make an immediate statement of intent.

With England’s new boss making it clear that he isn’t the most patient of managers, some will wonder why Tuchel didn’t use last year’s Nations League campaign as a chance to do some early research.

However, becoming the first permanent England manager to win their first two games in charge since Fabio Capello back in 2008, Tuchel’s side haven’t needed to get out of third gear.

With roughly 15 months until the 51-year-old has to name his final squad for next year’s World Cup finals, Tuchel still has plenty of time to implement his new style.

Another night and another record for Kane

Once again spearheading England’s charge at Wembley on Monday night, it almost feels that Kane breaks international records every time he steps on to the pitch.

Equalling Billy Wright’s 105 caps here, the Three Lions’ skipper now sits eight in the all-time appearance chances and could potentially leapfrog the likes of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Sir Bobby Charton and the iconic Bobby Moore by the end of the calendar year.

With Tuchel making it clear following his appointment back in October that the Bayern Munich ace would keep his spot as England’s full-time skipper, Kane has opened his qualifying campaign with back-to-back strikes over the past week.

In fact, moving onto 71 international goals, the former Tottenham talisman has now notched more goals for the Three Lions than both Alan Shearer and Michael Owen combined.

Leading Munich’s charge for a famous European and domestic sweep this season, it is no surprise that Kane is at the centre of Tuchel’s plans ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Which of England’s fringe stars impressed?

With Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka still sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury and the likes of Manchester City ace Jack Grealish omitted from this month’s squad, Tuchel has made it clear that he has held private discussions with over 50 players.

With only a handful of England’s squad this month knowing their spot at next year’s World Cup is all but guaranteed avoiding any unwanted injury issues, Tuchel made five changes to Friday’s 2-0 win against Albania.

While West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen might have struggled to make much of an impact on either flank, Arsenal’s breakout sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly clearly took his shot at making the left-back position his own.

Notching a maiden goal against Albania on what was his debut for the Three Lions, the 18-year-old started both of England’s qualifying showdowns this month and has received plenty of praise from Tuchel.

Likewise, doing an impressive job playing between the lines of Monday night, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rodgers demonstrated that he can offer something different in the number 10 role.

Match Report

England: Pickford, James, Konsa, Guehi, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Bellingham, Bowen, Rogers, Rashford, Kane

Subs: Eze, Jones, Foden, Henderson, Walker

Latvia: Zviedris, Savalnieks, Jurkovskis, Cernomordijs, Balodis, Ciganiks, Juanzems, Saveljevs, Zelenkovs, Ikaunieks, Gutkovski

Subs: Sits, Melniks, Jagodinskis, Daskevics, Sliede

Goals: James (38’), Kane (68’), Eze (76’)

Yellow Cards: England: Bellingham – Latvia: Milniks, Sits

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Orel Grinfeeld