by From the face of Reece James one would not have known that he had just achieved his first England goal. Heck, from the facial expression one would have thought that a fox had just mutilated a chicken and not rolled up into the upper corner from 30 meters in Wembley.
However, Thomas Tuchel’s reaction was more revealing, the German clashed his fists and beat the advertising areas at the entrance to his English installation.
For almost 40 minutes he had observed how his team was burdened against a Latvia team in the world and had come to London with even less adventure than Albania 72 hours earlier. Even with an open goal by Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi and visited No.
However, James delivered a moment of outrageous quality that took opposition out of the equation when an English full-back broke a one-sided game, exactly when Jude Bellingham’s Pass and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s finish had from the opposite flank against the Albanians before three nights.
This was a copy of this game for a while on course a Harry Kane strike, which was set up by Declan Rice before Eberechi Eze and its first England goal made a certain difference from the bank.
Whatever the outer show suppressed, and James must have felt a swell when his free kick was arched with almost unfair precision over the Latvian wall and the post.
For the Chelsea man it was a long way back to this stage, whose cameo appearance in the last minute against Albania was his first English appearance in two years. This was his first start to do three with two big tournaments that were missed during this time.
“Reece is a great football player,” said Tuchel before the kick -off. “He has everything it needs for the highest level.”
That was never really doubt. But the thigh injuries that have gone through the full-back, including the enforcement of the operation that excluded him effectively from the Euro 2024, have triggered a clean run at club level since the coach’s arrival, under which he once thrived and the Champions League won. In the following season – Tuchel’s only complete campaign in the Chelsea helmet – remains the best of James’ disturbed career, including five goals and nine templates in 26 Premier League games.
The circumstances also made it easy to turn into an old favorite without reservations, and both Trent Alexander-Arnold was missing for injuries as well as Ben White, who is being selected again, but is not yet available until the full game speed.
Without James and with White in Selfexil, the former coach in the era of late Gärtische Southgate essentially chose the former coach between the unique creative talent of Alexander-Arnold and the security of Kyle Walker. Most of the time he went out for the latter, like Tuchel in his first person. At the beginning of the euro of the last summer, Southgate even tried to push both into a team before not giving up the experiment a moment early.
James, however,, however, was often regarded as an ideal hybrid model, a solution in the middle between two extremes. There were only a few windows to prove it here, but it is more defensive more reliable than its contemporary Liverpool time comrades and offers much more than the experienced walker in the other direction.
Tuchel is a pragmatic coach and what he wants from his full -back will undoubtedly depend on the opposition, although this will only be a really elite attack power in a competitive environment if they actually do it at all. The player’s profile, for which he decides on the right side, may also depend on what happens on the left, where the flowing use of Lewis-Skelly England gives a fresh dynamic and is already evident as a trademark of the new regime.
Ironically, James has recently played his club football in a similar reverse role or as a midfielder under Enzo Maresca, who does not have much time for conventional up and down baking. Just ask Ben Chilwell.
In contrast, James has proven his adaptability for his club. Nevertheless, it may be at an international level, in its old role and under a familiar guide that he really repeats his best.
