Tribal Football

'He Passed the Test' — Thomas Tuchel Praises One England Star After Uninspiring Win Over Andorra

'He Passed the Test' — Thomas Tuchel Praises One England Star After Uninspiring Win Over Andorra
'He Passed the Test' — Thomas Tuchel Praises One England Star After Uninspiring Win Over AndorraSportimage, Sportimage Ltd / Alamy / Profimedia

Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for England debutant Elliot Anderson, saying he ‘passed the test’ following the national side’s uninspiring win over Andorra.

The 22-year-old was named man of the match as England limped to a 2-0 win over Andorra in their first World Cup qualifier of the new season on Saturday (September 6).

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Anderson came agonisingly close to capping his impressive debut performance off with a gaol only to have his 51st minute effort saved.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Tuchel couldn’t help but admit he was impressed by the Nottingham Forest star’s performance.

“He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said. “He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No 6. He has the body, he loves to defend, he loves to put his body inside to duels. 

“He loves passing, he loves to break the lines, he’s very mobile in this game. It was a pleasure to see.

“I think the team around him made it as easy as possible for him and he had a very strong performance. I think he showed today that he adapts to the situation. 

“Can he show what he showed in training? Can he show what he showed with Nottingham and the under-21s? He played with a lot of freedom. He was very quickly in the flow."