England Triumphs Under Tuchel with Dominant 5-0 Victory Over Serbia
Thomas Tuchel spoke with confidence, knowing that a significant night for his England tenure was imminent upon his arrival in Belgrade.
Following a lackluster World Cup qualifier win against Andorra, which marked a fourth consecutive competitive victory but left many fans at Villa Park leaving early, questions arose regarding his methods.
"I see what I see. I feel what I feel. I am convinced we will improve, then get better and better," Tuchel stated ahead of England's qualifier against Serbia.
He reiterated this sentiment as he celebrated a resounding 5-0 victory.
Tuchel's team delivered on that promise with a masterclass performance, overpowering Serbia in their own stadium, silencing the anticipated hostile crowd from the very start.
On a night that was perfect for Tuchel, England not only secured a crucial victory—bringing them within five points of World Cup qualification with three matches remaining—but also presented him with a delightful selection dilemma.
England displayed attacking flair, achieving this feat without key players such as Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, who were widely considered certain starters. Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Phil Foden were also absent, with Foden aiming to revitalize his international career through his performances at Manchester City.
In their absence, Noni Madueke shone brightly, contributing a goal and an impressive individual performance, now boasting five goal contributions in just nine appearances for England.
Elliott Anderson built on his promising debut against Andorra, while Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers increasingly influenced the match, appearing comfortable at this elite level.
While Bellingham is often seen as the natural choice for England's number 10 position, Rogers made a compelling case for himself, demonstrating to Tuchel that there are viable alternatives.
Anderson received high praise from Tuchel, with statistics supporting the impact the Nottingham Forest midfielder has made while adjusting to international football.
He completed 182 passes across his first two England appearances—107 against Andorra and 75 in Serbia—the highest recorded by an England midfielder in their initial two caps since August 2008.
England's lineup featured only four players with over 25 caps, while four others had fewer than ten, highlighting the team's youth and potential.
Though it was just one match, this performance provided a significant boost for Tuchel and his strategy. His tenure has been a gradual process, but England was on fire in Belgrade.
This is an area where Tuchel’s predecessors struggled, particularly Sven-Goran Eriksson, who often selected established stars, sometimes misplacing players like Paul Scholes, yet failed to achieve success.
Tuchel remarked, "I’ve kept repeating that we have had a brilliant camp. It is now up to me to make some decisions on positions, but this is international football. These players proved their worth every day in camp, and the team showcased that once again with their performance."
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson expressed his enthusiasm on BBC Radio 5 Live, stating, "When you have big names missing, the team becomes the star. They were united and displayed significant cohesion. You run out of superlatives for England. Everything that Thomas Tuchel wanted from his team was executed to perfection. This was a highly impressive statement performance."
Tuchel indicated that he used the first two England camps to assess his players, but moving forward, the focus will be on fostering competition and refining his squad.
No wonder Tuchel left his media briefing with a broad smile after the most satisfying display since succeeding Sir Gareth Southgate.
England made history by becoming the first team to score five goals in an away competitive match against Serbia and have now achieved eight consecutive competitive victories, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford recording his seventh straight clean sheet.
Madueke, alongside defenders Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi, all netted their first goals for England on this landmark night.
Good news continued to flow for England and Tuchel.
England was warned about the hostile atmosphere of the Rajko Mitic Stadium, with players making the 240-meter walk down the arena's famous tunnel.
However, they quickly silenced the Serbian fans, dominating possession and preventing the home supporters from building momentum.
There were some unsavory moments, including a first-half stoppage due to green lasers aimed at Konsa and an outbreak of violence among home fans protesting against Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Serbia and their usually fervent supporters were subdued from the moment captain Harry Kane opened the scoring, with the all-time record goalscorer netting his 74th goal in 109 international matches—a remarkable achievement.
For Tuchel and England, there were no such issues, as they delivered the dazzling performance and decisive victory their supporters had been eagerly anticipating since his appointment.