FootyChatter.com

Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live and this page from 19: 00 GMT England beat Latvia in Tuchel's second match in charge FT: England 3-0 Latvia - James bends in brilliant free-kick opener Kane slots in hosts' second after break before Eze third England player ratings: Have your say here Get Involved: What are your thoughts so far? #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Neil Johnston FT: England 3-0 Latvia A 5/10 performance by Marc Guehi? 8/10 for Morgan Rogers? And who can be 'a real asset'? Read BBC Sport's Alex Howell's England player ratings against Latvia here. #bbcfootball, Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Jake: The problem with the expansion of the World Cup with more countries is it’s too easy to qualify in the Uefa groups. Means non-competitive games with a big gulf in quality with most teams in the group. Much worse spectacle for fans. FT: England 3-0 Latvia England goalscorer Eberechi Eze, speaking to ITV: "It was a strong performance from us. It was important to win. "I always want to impact the game whenever I play. Today it has come off, it is good to contribute. " Reece James, speaking to ITV: "It has been a long time, I have had a frustrating two years. I'm so happy to be called up by my country again. I saw the wall and felt I could bend it round. I was a bit surprised it hit the net. "Thomas Tuchel's ideas are clear. We have one objective and that starts this week right up until the World Cup. " FT: England 3-0 Latvia England Roy Keane is at Wembley as part of ITV's coverage and says that was a C+ performance by England. "There's lots more to come from them. It was OK. " #bbcfootball, Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Jon Evans: Rather than the dull negative commentary that we've had, it would be good if they understood that games like this tend to be about patience and picking them off as the game goes on. It would be good if they didn't just criticise some players constantly and unfairly. FT: England 3-0 Latvia Izzy Christiansen Former England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live at Wembley It was slow and it was laboured. But you can only play with what's in front of you. Everyone was camped in Latvia's half. #bbcfootball, Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Matty AFC: Can't stand the negativity around our national team!

I work for a French company - if I told my French colleagues that the English public and media were disappointed about 5-0 aggregate score, they'd think I'd lost my mind. England 3-0 Latvia Rob Green Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live There's not a lot learned. Players are struggling for form and they've not shown how good they can be but it is really tough in a match that is just one step up from a training session. England 3-0 Latvia Job done. Back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins for Thomas Tuchel. #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Croatia with Modric, Perisic, Rakitic and a few others were absolutely quality and nearly went all the way in 2018. I turn 34 today and yes I've slowed down but what you lack in spritliness, you make up for with experience! Kane and Walker are dead cert starters for me. James, Croydon England 3-0 Latvia Izzy Christiansen Former England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live I think Morgan Rogers has been really good. He's impacted the game well even though it's been tight for him. England 3-0 Latvia Many England fans are heading for the exits as three additional minutes are signalled. England 3-0 Latvia I hope Unai Emery is not watching this. Ezri Konsa has been in the wars and the Aston Villa defender is on the receiving end of another crunching challenge. He picks himself up but doesn't look happy at all. #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Bringing Jordan Henderson on when you're 3-0 up against a poor side is like putting a coat on because you're hot. Utterly pointless and won't achieve anything. Tom Makes no sense bringing on Henderson and Walker in a match, already won, against mighty Latvia. What is Tuchel going to learn? Why no Gibbs-White, Colwill or even Solanke? Strange. Michael England 3-0 Latvia This has been a 6/10 performance. Not great but job done. England 3-0 Latvia Rob Green Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live I'm looking at a lot of empty seats now and people thinking they've seen enough. #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) I realise that Tuchel has a short-term objective but Henderson and Walker are only going to get worse before the actual tournament so dump them now. Andrew England 3-0 Latvia I miss the days England used to CRUSH teams by seven or eight in World Cup qualifiers. Substitute Deniss Melniks is the latest player to be booked for a late challenge on Harry Kane. England 3-0 Latvia Rob Green Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live That was a really good chance for Rogers. It's on his weaker foot but he needs to be doing better. England 3-0 Latvia Another big chance for Morgan Rogers and another save by Krisjanis Zviedris. Latvia's No 1 has had a decent game. Reece James is mobbed by England team-mates after opening the scoring in the World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley Thomas Tuchel secured a second successive victory as England head coach in their World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley - but it was a slog rather than a thrill ride before they made their superiority count. England, as against Albania in Tuchel's opening game, were frustrated for long periods by the country ranked 140th in the world, before dominance was transformed into goals. Chelsea captain Reece James celebrated his first England start since September 2022 by curling in a superb free-kick from 20 yards seven minutes before half-time. England then struggled to add to the scoreline in the face of Latvia's stubborn resistance until captain Harry Kane turned in his 71st goal in 105 international appearances from Declan Rice's cross after 68 minutes. As Latvia finally ran out of steam and resistance, substitute Eberechi Eze scored his first England goal with a deflected shot 14 minutes from time. In picking up three points, Tuchel became the first England men's manager to win his first two competitive games since Fabio Capello in 2008. Who can be 'a real asset'? England player ratings v Latvia England's victory margin was eventually a convincing one, but they made life hard for themselves before finally putting away a side 136 places below them in the world rankings. It was no surprise that England's vast superiority and fitness finally proved all too much, despite the visitors' determined defence. Once Kane doubled England's advantage midway through the second half, it became even more of a damage limitation exercise for Latvia, who adopted the same strategy as Albania here on Friday by building a very low block and seeing how long it survived. The fact that is did for so long was not just a testimony to their determination, but also England's bad habit of firing in aimless crosses, while failing to move the ball quickly and decisively in danger areas. Tuchel kept faith with Rashford on the left, while replacing Phil Foden with West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen on the right, but once again the new head coach would surely have expected more from the wide positions. The six-point haul was fully expected from Tuchel's first two games against such opposition, and he will be satisfied with two clean sheets, but it will prove a highly valuable exercise in informing him where England must improve if they are to fulfil his single mission - which is to win the 2026 World Cup at the conclusion of his 18-month contract. Tuchel is a huge admirer of James, who was a key element of his Chelsea side that won the Champions League in 2021. And the German confirmed this by bringing the 25-year-old defender straight into his first England squad as soon as he was confident of his return to fitness following the latest in a succession of serious hamstring injuries. James also wasted no time in proving his quality, albeit against low calibre opposition, with a display of physical power and quality that will stake a serious claim for England's right-back slot. He is the identikit player and personality Tuchel wants to build his England around, with the physicality that makes him comfortable at the elite levels, but also the technical ability. James demonstrated what he can offer with an early challenge that left a Latvian dazed then, more significantly, with the perfectly delivered free-kick that finally broke the deadlock just as England were starting to show their frustrations. If James can stay fit, Tuchel is likely to make him a central figure in his bid to win the World Cup next year. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 24th March 2025 at 21: 43 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Thomas Tuchel Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Paolo Nicolato Formation: 5 - 4 - 1 Manager: Thomas Tuchel Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Paolo Nicolato Formation: 5 - 4 - 1 We're still improving Match stats. Let us know what you think. UEFA World Cup Qualifiers All competitions Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.