The German coach and his players put their mediocre recent displays against minnows behind them with a top-level performance in Belgrade
England finally located their mojo on Tuesday in Belgrade, and Serbia didn't know what had hit them. In case they were wondering, it was five goals, from five different scorers, and the sound they could hear was that of Thomas Tuchel's side finally taking to the skies after several false starts, heading right for the 2026 World Cup, their mission to go all the way in North America back on track.
The Three Lions' performance proved that England are not just a squad of incredibly talented and famous individuals, as you might have been forgiven for thinking after their dour win over Andorra and their previous four outings under Tuchel. They can also be remarkably effective when they work together, as they did for the slick second goal scored by Noni Madueke.
"Teamwork in its purest form" is how Tuchel described the performance, emphasising the achievement of limiting their hosts to zero shots on target and praising the intensity his players showed throughout. The German also had a pointed message to the doubters, both in the fanbase and in the media: "I’m just glad for the players that they could show to the fans and to you guys what they’re capable of."
England will face much tougher teams than Serbia on their path towards their ultimate aim of winning the World Cup next summer, and the manner of this victory, as satisfying as it was, should not lead to talk of Tuchel 'bringing it home' just yet. It was reassuring, though, to see England rise to the occasion and remind everyone, not least themselves, of how good they can be.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Rajko Mitic Stadium…
Getty Images SportWINNER: Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel not only needed to win, he needed a big performance to quieten the volume of dissent against him after four lacklustre victories and a concerning defeat to Senegal in his games in charge thus far. He got both, with England delivering their biggest away win since crushing San Marino 10-0 in 2021 while showing they can play free-flowing football as well as make the most of set-pieces.
There were many things to be pleased about from the coach's point of view. His side barely let Serbia create any danger, with Jordan Pickford not asked to make any saves all night. They dominated the ball and territory but were seldom ponderous, playing in a direct manner throughout.
Tuchel also showed his flexibility, dropping players who had underperformed against Andorra such as Marcus Rashford and Myles Lewis-Skelly while rewarding Elliot Anderson with a second consecutive start. It was not exactly the spell-binding performance Spain had produced against Turkey a couple of days earlier, but it was an imposing display and a big stride in the right direction.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Dragan Stojkovic
Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic was roundly booed when his name was read out before kick-off, and the crowd's feeling towards him became ever more vociferous as his side were played off their own park. All the talk before about England being intimidated amid the noise and during the walk through the 73-metre, graffiti-soaked tunnel faded into nothing, and if anyone faced hostilities, it was the home side and their manager.
Stojkovic was one of the best players of his generation but his star has faded as a coach and he is growing ever unpopular, despite leading Serbia to back-to-back major tournaments. Making it three out of three will be much harder after this bruising defeat, as they will almost certainly have to look to the play-offs to book their place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
There is another reason why Stojkovic is unpopular right now, too. He is a fervent supporter of the Serbian government, which has faced waves of protests in the last few weeks, and if his side cannot beat Albania in their next game and reclaim second spot in the group, his own regime might be about to topple.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Noni Madueke
Madueke had been among the players Tuchel had named and shamed for not taking their chances against Andorra, but he showed the mental resilience you need at international level on Tuesday. The forward has many critics, as was made clear by the furious reaction among Arsenal fans when he signed for the Gunners, and when he kept his place in the starting line-up for this one ahead of Jarrod Bowen, more groans were let out online.
But Madueke offered the perfect response. The game was barely a few minutes old when he latched on to a pass from Morgan Rogers and nearly won a penalty. He later rolled the ball across the six-yard box for Harry Kane, who somehow missed the target, while when he got a chance of his own, he made sure he didn't waste it.
Madueke demonstrated his renowned pace and determination as he sprinted into the box after Rogers' flick-on, but he also showed an ice-cool mentality in front of goal which has been previously lacking. With his club team-mate Bukayo Saka potentially still injured for the next round of England games against Wales and Albania, Madueke has given himself the best hope possible of keeping his place.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Declan Rice
Declan Rice already has his name on a seat on the plane to North America next summer, so he could feel entitled to rest on his laurels and coast a little bit through these qualifiers. He did no such thing on Tuesday, however, leading by example with a truly dominant performance.
Rice's two assists, for Kane and Marc Guehi, added to his goal against Andorra and meant he had directly contributed to three of England's seven strikes during this camp. Tuchel had spoken of the importance of long balls and long throws before the game and it felt obvious that he had Arsenal in mind.
Rice's pin-point deliveries have been a key element of the Gunners' growing threat from set plays (no Premier League team has scored more than them in the last two years) and it makes perfect sense for Tuchel to want to replicate that weapon, with the midfielder as his supplier-in-chief.