What 'didn't suit' Marcus Rashford as Thomas Tuchel makes feelings clear on Aston Villa loanee
Aston Villa loanee Marcus Rashford impressed Thomas Tuchel in England's win over Latvia
Thomas Tuchel praised Marcus Rashford’s "hunger and desire" in England's 3-0 win over Latvia, but admitted playing the Aston Villa winger off the right in the second half didn't work like he had planned.
Rashford created more chances than any other player on the pitch on Monday night, causing problems from the left in the first half before being moved to the opposite flank after the break.
The Villa loanee started successive matches under Tuchel, despite the England boss claiming that he could have done more to impact the first World Cup qualifier against Albania last week.
"I did not say I did not like how they played; I said they could have had more impact," Tuchel clarified when asked about Rashford’s performance against Latvia, considering the German’s assessment from the previous game.
"Marcus showed today, especially in the first half, the hunger and desire to go again and again. He was not shy and was more aggressive in his movements.
"He showed the hunger and desire in his abilities. We maybe lacked support, as Jude was central and Lewis-Skelly should have provided more support.
"In the second half, we switched sides because we wanted an aggressive Marcus with a free right foot [to cross], but it did not suit him as well compared to the left side. These are the things we need to learn and take away from these matches.
"I did not play into his hands. He did it for the team, which is very, very good, and we need to understand this is a new style. They come from different cultures and systems.
“Sometimes, you play out of position for the national team. The process has started, and it is a good way to continue."
Tuchel added: “Marcus did very well, like I said. He lacked a little bit of support in the half-left space. Jarrod struggled to win his one-on-one duels.
“We changed sides to give him the chance to cross earlier with an open foot, so he didn’t have to beat the player completely to whip a cross in. I was absolutely happy with Marcus’ performance and satisfied.”