Thomas Tuchel already knows his first England undroppable as demand pays dividends

ENGLAND 2-0 ALBANIA: The Three Lions got Thomas Tuchel’s reign off to the perfect start and the German already knows who he can count upon

In the build-up to Thomas Tuchel’s first game as England manager, there was a buzzword. Interaction. It was, apparently, one of the reasons why Gareth Southgate’s team lost the European Championship final to Spain last summer. Not enough of it.

Not enough high-fiving, chatting, encouraging, fist-bumping, general camaraderie. Not enough interaction. Tuchel even produced a graph, apparently. England players went into their individual shells in the second half of that final in Berlin, it seems, and that might have been one of the factors that led to the loss.

Tuchel wants plenty of it and perhaps that is why the high-fiving and hugging ahead of kick-off against Albania was particularly enthusiastic. But you suspect Jude Bellingham does not need any encouragement to interact.

Considering he can occasionally berate team-mates who he feels have made a bad decision, that might not always be a great thing but Bellingham is always the first to offer words of motivation, to keep an eye out for pals, to be a captain without the armband.

And what appeared to be particularly nice in the first few days of this current England camp was the way Bellingham was going out of his way to make Myles Lewis-Skelly feel at home. It looked as though he was taking the Arsenal teenager under his wing. Lovely stuff.

And then you have to remember that Bellingham is 21 years of age. Yep, 21. The appearance statistics are remarkable, his 41 caps now the most for an England player who is yet to turn 22. Goodness knows how many games Bellingham will go on to play for his country.

But there is an obvious reason why Bellingham has 41 caps – he is a generational talent, and proves it game after game, for club and country. It is hard not to be more impressed with him every time you watch him play.

In the early stages of this match, it was Bellingham who was making the most incisive runs, the most thoughtful runs, it was Bellingham who looked the most dangerous England player. And then came the assist for Lewis-Skelly’s dream moment. Now THAT was what you could call taking a new boy under your wing.

Who was England’s man-of-the-match vs Albania? Share your thoughts in the comments below

The intelligent run from Lewis-Skelly asked for an intelligent pass and Bellingham delivered it with ribbons on. The nutmegged finish was a beautiful snapshot of Lewis-Skelly’s precocious ability, a high-class conversion of a high-class set-up.

The obvious caveat to reading anything significant into any moments in these types of games is that they are a world away from the standard needed to win major tournaments. England, of course, should be taking care of this sort of opposition with an unexceptional amount of fuss.

That is why there was insufficient evidence here to conclude that Dan Burn will be a defensive asset next summer. That is why there was insufficient evidence here to conclude that a Marcus Rashford renaissance is really on the cards.

That is why there was insufficient evidence here to conclude that Phil Foden will re-establish himself as key to English fortunes. That is why there was insufficient evidence here to conclude that Kyle Walker can remain a mainstay of the team.

But there can still be nuggets that can refuel national optimism – even this far out from the main business – and the dynamic between Bellingham and Lewis-Skelly was one such nugget. Then again, the dynamic between Bellingham and every single one of his England team-mates – yep, Thomas, the interaction – should refuel national optimism. And this was another reminder that no-one is more important to this England squad than Bellingham is.

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