Five Things We Learned From England 2-0 Andorra

Five Things We Learned From England 2-0 Andorra

England began their first of two September international fixtures with a routine 2-0 win against underdogs Andorra.

However, the performance was far from entertaining and Thomas Tuchel's men once again came under heavy criticism for the way they played at Villa Park.

Here's five things we learned from the match.

Handbrake Football

Andorra are placed 151st in FIFA's current rankings, far below England in fourth, so you wouldn't be blamed for expecting a high-scoring rout in the Three Lions' favour, full of shots on target and chances created.

Yet, it was far, far from that.

Sure, the visitors still came and parked their five at the back in front of England's offence, leading to the hosts enjoying 83% of the ball, but they did very little with it and only mustered 11 shots - 4 of which were off target - across the whole 90 minutes.

Thomas Tuchel’s England team are the spiritual successor’s to Fabio Capello’s England side.

Boring, functional, organised, a dull watch more often than not — and there’s a real lack of positivity, for me. Don’t really get a sense the players are enjoying it.

— Philip West (@Philip_RJ89) September 6, 2025

Combined with this, we saw 268 passes take place in the final third, which would usually end with a plethora of chances, however England's tally came from typical sluggish, sideways short passing that those in yellow shirts would have been very glad to see.

Instead, Tuchel's men need to start taking more risks on the ball, try to make runs in behind and take on the fullback when in wide areas rather than passing it around the penalty area.

Games Outside of Wembley?

For the second game running, England have played away from the national stadium of Wembley, at both Villa Park and the City Ground back in June.

The last time this happened came in June 2022, when England hosted Hungary at the Molineux.

England not playing at Wembley because of Coldplay concerts: pic.twitter.com/7x16r1JDKE

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) September 6, 2025

On all three encounters, the stadium has been absolutely silent, a noticeable absent of the usual England band has been felt and in the end, England were booed off the pitch on each occasion.

Sure, England were battered 4-0 by Hungary in the most dismal display since Iceland at Euro 2016, as well as losing 3-1 to Senegal and another boring performance against Andorra, but the crowd have to lift the players when they're down - something that hasn't happened away from Wembley.

Loads of English fans had been calling for international games to be shared in stadiums all across the country rather than just in London, as has been done in Italy for some years, however on the basis of the last three years, you'd have to start questioning as to whether it should continue in the future.

Anderson Fits In On Debut

Elliot Anderson was included in the starting XI, following his maiden call-up to the England first team last week.

Despite the levels of the team being down on average, the midfielder certainly looked at home in the middle of the park and not outclassed by big names around him, such as Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze.

He had a 94% pass accuracy from 114 attempts, 127 touches and six of his seven long balls found his man.

Rashford Off The Boil

Since moving to Aston Villa and now Barcelona on loan, the 27-year-old would have hoped that he could not only kick on for club, but also for country.

Tuchel has trusted Rashford on several occasions since the German's first match in charge in March, and the winger is yet to put in an impressive display.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that Marcus Rashford did not deliver the kind of performance that could set him apart for England, admitting the forward lacked the expected “wow” factor.

Aliko Dangote The DSS Emir Koyin and Isabella No 3 Lookman pic.twitter.com/wj7qCbBZTI

— Football Messenger (@transfermessage) September 7, 2025

Limited to just 44 touches, Rashford had just a 77% pass accuracy as he was very sloppy in possession, lost the ball 13 times and lost four of his seven duels, leading to him being brought off in the 68th minute at the first lot of changes.

Worse Than Southgate-Ball?

When the ex-Chelsea coach was hired by the FA in October 2024, many expected England to put in serious performances under a manager who was hired for one goal only - World Cup 2026 victory.

After seven years under Gareth Southgate, in which the Three Lions reached two finals and a semi-final - their best record since 1966 - fans still groaned about the same pragmatic football, and were licking their lips at the prospect of a world class coach putting in some serious masterclasses on route to qualification for the big tournament.

Yet, the football on the pitch may have actually got worse, as both brands have been evidently bland, although Southgate at least seemed to get big results for the majority of his tenure.

Andorra were drawn in England's qualification group for the previous World Cup qualifiers campaign, back when Southgate was at the helm.

Back in 2021, England put four past them at Wembley and then hit them for another five away from home, significantly greater than the 1-0 and 2-0 this time round.

If Tuchel doesn't deliver World Cup gold, or at least lead us to the final, his stint is shaping up to be a failure, and an expensive one at that for the Football Association.