Jarrod Bowen shines, recalled star has stellar stats – England’s three winners from victory vs Albania
Three England players increased their claims to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad with their performances against Albania.
There are still positions in Tuchel’s squad up for grabs, with Marcus Rashford not taking his chance against Serbia and Myles Lewis-Skelly dropped for this England camp.
The German kept with a strong line-up for England’s 2-0 win over Serbia, but he made changes for the trip to Albania.
England will not play again until March, but three players did not do their World Cup chances any harm against the Albanians.
Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen looked up for the contest, and eager to impress with the 28-year-old fighting for his World Cup place.
The West Ham forward was direct and positive, in one of few avenues where you could see a goal coming from for the Three Lions in the first half.
Bowen is unlikely to start at the World Cup, but his work rate and ability to play anywhere across the front line can only be a positive for Tuchel.
Dean Henderson
Jordan Pickford may be the number one, but Dean Henderson kept a clean sheet and confirmed that he is the back-up to the Everton shot stopper.
Henderson made two important saves in the second half, when Albania should have taken the lead, and made a perfectly timed tackle outside his penalty area.
James Trafford is not getting minutes at Man City, whilst other potential contenders for the squad like Aaron Ramsdale are also not getting game time at club level.
Jude Bellingham
The Real Madrid star also looked like he had a point to prove after returning to the starting XI ahead of Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers.
Jude Bellingham was excellent defensively against Albania, and a threat going forward with his movement.
| Minutes Played | 84 |
| Successful Dribbles % | 67% |
| Fouls Suffered | 3 |
| Big Chances Created | 1 |
| Ground Duels Won % | 58% |
Bellingham will be pivotal in the World Cup next summer, though Tuchel perhaps still needs to find a way to get the best out of him despite this positive display.