England defeated Andorra 2-0. After the match, experts from camel.live opined that Marcus Rashford’s performance made him look “like he’d lost his soul.”
In front of Aston Villa’s famous Holte End, Rashford once convinced Thomas Tuchel that he deserved another call-up to the England squad. But back in this familiar venue, he missed the chance to further prove himself and secure a spot in the World Cup squad.
Rashford was not the only player to underperform against Andorra, but others have shown at least some positives recently. As a loanee at Barcelona, he now must perform to prove he deserves a place—and this match raised more questions than answers.
He has only started one game for Barcelona so far, and even then, he was substituted at halftime. Returning to Villa Park should have been the perfect stage for him to shine. Instead, he disappeared from the game.
The England manager admitted that Rashford has yet to impress him, but insisted the player deserves his place.
“He’s definitely lacking in terms of stats and those ‘standout moments’ for England, I agree,” Tuchel said. “But as long as he trains like he does now, conducts himself well, and is positive and energetic in the team, we will always trust him, push him, and support him.
“I can see he’s trying. For me, the most important thing is that he stays positive—and right now, he’s training with the right attitude, with a smile, and showing high quality.”
Last season at Villa Park, Rashford terrorized the defenders of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. But this time, representing England against a determined Andorra side, he posed no threat. Tuchel would have hoped to see him beat defenders, deliver crosses into the box, or cut inside to shoot. Instead, he lost possession, played backward passes, and even missed his only shooting chance.
