"Don't let him go to the 2026 WC if he carries on playing like this" - Fans slam England star despite 2-0 win in WC qualifier

Fans were unimpressed with Phil Foden for his performance in England’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers clash with Albania on Friday (March 21). The forward didn’t put in a very good shift in his position as the Three Lions kickstarted the Thomas Tuchel era with a 2-0 win at Wembley.

Eight months after reaching the Euro 2024 final, the Three Lions aimed to usher in a new era under Tuchel with a commanding performance on home soil. As expected, their top-dog status was on display as they duly dominated the game from the onset, and their strong start was rewarded with a goal in the 20th minute.

Hale End graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly opened the scoring for England as he raced onto a pass from Jude Bellingham and coolly nutmegged the onrushing Thomas Strakosha to score his first senior goal. He became the youngest player to score on his senior England debut (18 years and 176 days), surpassing Marcus Rashford's record of 18 years and 209 days vs. Australia in May 2016.

While The Three Lions continued to dictate proceedings, they couldn’t double their tally until the 77th minute. Skipper Harry Kane scored the second goal for his side after he received a lofted pass from Declan Rice and found the bottom corner.

The visitors’ failure to register a shot on goal for the entirety of the match meant Thomas Tuchel’s men secured all three points on the night.

Despite the win, a section of England supporters wasn’t happy with Phil Foden’s overall gameplay. The forward’s dip in form this season was evident as he had the lowest rating of all the Three Lions outfield players in the starting XI (6.8) as per Sofascore.

After the match, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to berate him for his performance.

''Don't let Foden go to the 2026 WC if he carries on playing like this'' An user wrote.

Another tweeted:

''We’ve got to stop forcing Foden into the team. He’s best centrally but he’s not as good or as effective as Bellingham. It’s the bench for him #ENG🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿''

''Given up on Foden. Doesn’t try anything with the ball. It’s over🤦🏾‍♂️'' @spinmanz wrote.

''I’m sorry but if Foden keeps playing like this for England I’ve got Bowen, Palmer, Saka, Bellingham, and potentially others ahead of him. He’s lucky to make the squad atm'' @SebOnFootball added.

''How is Foden in the England squad?'' @Alteredbeef69 asked.

''What’s happened to foden man'' @Jdicko1884 queried.

Thomas Tuchels want ''more impact'' from Phil Foden after England’s 2-0 win over Albania

Thomas Tuchel was far from impressed with Phil Foden’s performance in his first game in charge of England. The German heaped praise on debutant Lewis-Skelly for his performance before turning to give his assessment of Foden’s performance.

Tuchel urged Foden and Marcus Rashford to be more decisive and also demanded ''more dribbling and aggressive runs'' from the pair.

The Three Lions boss told the media after the game (via GOAL):

"We hope for more impact in these positions. More dribbling and more aggressive runs towards the box. In general that was missing. The chances come from the little runs behind the line. There was a bit missing they were not as decisive as they can be."

Thomas Tuchel's men will take on Latvia in their second game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Monday, March 24.