Tuchel’s England show their potential
The trip to Belgrade, to face a Serbia side yet to concede a goal in qualifying, was rightly billed as England’s toughest test yet under Thomas Tuchel but they made it look easy. The victory puts them seven points clear in Group K. Ultimately, though, it was the manner of it that mattered most.
Tuchel insisted England were on the right path after England’s underwhelming 2-0 win over Andorra but this was the first time they have truly shown what they might be capable of under their new head coach. England dominated from start to finish, playing slick attacking football and, most importantly, finding a clinical edge.
They were of course already on course to qualify, having won their first four games. But Tuchel will hope this victory helps to reignite enthusiasm around the national team. The performance, featuring five different goalscorers and another clean sheet, felt like exactly what they needed.
Nick Wright
Rogers and Madueke stake their claim
Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka might be regarded as two of the first names on the England team sheet and little the injured duo would have caught of the insipid win over Andorra at the weekend would have disabused them of that notion. This was different.
England’s Noni Madueke celebrates scoring his side’s second goal with Morgan Rogers
Noni Madueke continued his recent good form, scoring his first England goal, while Morgan Rogers succeeded where Eberechi Eze had struggled in seizing his opportunity in the No 10 position. There was a swagger to England’s play in Serbia, but graft too.
Sky Sports’ Roy Keane, watching the game for ITV, praised Madueke’s movement and maturity. “He is a nightmare to play against.” On Rogers, he went further, comparing the Aston Villa player to Paul Gascoigne in his prime because of his ball-carrying ability.
It was a slight concern in some quarters that certain England players could become a little cosy, their status in the dressing room assured. But Rogers staked a claim for the shirt with this performance and the hope is that this will raise the game of others too.
“What he does is give the manager a problem and a brilliant option,” said Keane of Rogers. “You are sending a message to the manager. That is all you can do.” Bellingham and Saka will need to respond, while Cole Palmer and Phil Foden will have their say too.
Those four players plus the trio who started in Serbia, including Anthony Gordon, are all aged between 22 and 25. Thomas Tuchel has the nucleus there of a group of attacking midfielders and wide forwards who can drive each other on. It is hugely encouraging.
Adam Bate
Guehi is England’s new defensive leader
It is barely a week since Marc Guehi’s Deadline Day move to Liverpool collapsed but you would not know it to watch him in these two England games. The 25-year-old has put any disappointment firmly behind him, much to the delight of Thomas Tuchel.
“He is the example of how the boys were in this camp,” said the England boss after Tuesday’s game. “Exactly like this. They put their personal interests aside and he was the best team-mate possible. And he put in a fantastic performance.”
Marc Guehi celebrates after scoring England’s fourth goal in their 5-0 win over Serbia
With Harry Maguire now out of favour and John Stones continuing to struggle with injuries, Guehi has become England’s defensive leader, exuding a calm authority in their backline. In Belgrade, he showed all the experience he has built up across his 25 caps.
He was rarely tested defensively but that owed as much to his awareness and positioning as it did the frailties of his opponents. Instead, he focused his efforts on the opposition box, showing his dead-ball threat with his goal from Declan Rice’s free-kick.
“He was very strong for Crystal Palace and showed it today on the pitch,” added Tuchel. Having impressed during last year’s European Championship campaign, Guehi, England’s new defensive leader, now looks poised for an important role at next summer’s World Cup.
Nick Wright
England and Rice rubber stamp set piece kings status
Goal from a corner, goal from a free-kick and a penalty to round it off.
For all the pre-match talk about England embracing long throws, the Three Lions completing a perfect set-piece hat-trick shows they do not need to resort to that just yet.
And in Declan Rice, England have perhaps the outstanding set-piece taker in world football right now.
Harry Kane celebrates his opening goal with Declan Rice
Not since David Beckham have England or any country seen a more consistent producer of goals in this department, with Rice assisting Harry Kane and Marc Guehi from the dead-ball route in Belgrade.
It is still baffling that Rice did not take a single set piece at Euro 2024, despite showing his prowess in this department earlier that year with Arsenal.
England will not be making that same mistake in the World Cup next summer and it remains a strong option if Tuchel’s Three Lions get stuck in their low-block attempts in the future.
Sam Blitz
