Everyone wants to have the ball when Latvia come to town. Everyone fancies the chance to take an extra touch. Everyone wants to be the star. Nobody seems to realise that slowing the play down is exactly what Latvia want as they settle into their rearguard action and focus on little more than keeping England out.
It is a familiar problem for England. Thomas Tuchel has spoken about playing with intensity, about tapping into the aggression of the Premier League, about his team imposing their will on opponents. The challenge did not lie in defeating Latvia, but rather in how victory was achieved. Standards had to go up after a solid but unremarkable opening World Cup qualifying win against Albania. Tuchel is demanding. Tuchel will ask for more. Tuchel will not shy away from trying to rein in Jude Bellingham when the midfielder allows the unfocused, petulant version of himself to take over.
