England travel to Belgrade to play Serbia in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier hoping for a statement performance to kickstart Thomas Tuchel’s low-key era.
The Three Lions plodded to victory over Andorra and haven’t really impressed in any of Tuchel’s five matches to date, despite assertions of an improved performance by the ITV commentary team.
Serbia have a reputation for underperforming at major tournaments, but their qualifying record is very good and this is by far England’s toughest qualifier on paper. How will they line-up?
GK: Jordan Pickford
Pickford had nothing to do against Andorra, but a repeat in Belgrade would mean the best England performance since Italy were swept aside at Wembley in 2023.
Nothing has changed; the Everton goalkeeper remains his country’s number one.
RB: Reece James
James has established himself as Tuchel’s first-choice right-back and his crosses have become one of England’s main threats.
When the Chelsea captain is fit and firing, there is no better candidate for his position. Tuchel will be crossing his fingers and toes that James remains injury-free.
CB: Marc Guehi
Picked over Ezri Konsa on Saturday, Guehi was untroubled, but his passing could have probably been more incisive.
Arguably England’s best performer at Euro 2024, the defender’s star has only risen further since; Chelsea, Liverpool and La Liga’s big two are all linked with his signature.
He should start against Serbia and will be tasked with handling Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
CB: Dan Burn
Burn is beginning to look like Thomas Tuchel’s leading centre-back after picking up his third cap under the German on Saturday.
A kind interpretation would be that he’s the modern-day Jack Charlton, a previously little-regarded and unglamorous defender coming into the England side and doing the necessary donkey work.
But we can’t shake the feeling that his lack of mobility and weakness in possession would be a weakness against better opposition.
If nothing else, he’s earned the opportunity to test himself against tournament-level opposition.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
The second defender in England’s backline to make his debut under Tuchel, Lewis-Skelly faces competition from Djed Spence for his place in the team.
With the mitigation of Andorra’s non-existent attacking threat, the Arsenal man produced an unmemorable display.
But the seething atmosphere in Serbia seems like the type that would bring the best out of a feisty character. He retains the shirt for now.
CM: Declan Rice
While it wasn’t exactly reassuring to see Rice charging around like a labradoodle against the Andorrans, he did score his sixth international goal to cap the 2-0 victory.
There’s an argument that England would benefit from a more defensively disciplined Rice, allowing more natural attacking talents to thrive.
But Tuchel doesn’t have that luxury, with several stars currently injured, and the Arsenal man has evolved into the type of box-to-box player traditionally venerated in this country.
CM: Elliot Anderson
“He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said after Anderson’s eye-catching debut against Andorra.
“He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No 6. He has the body, he loves to defend, he loves to put his body into duels.
“He loves passing, he loves to break the lines, he’s very mobile in this game. It was a pleasure to see.”
England have lacked a No. 6 for years, with Adam Wharton expected to fill the role before pulling out injured. In his absence, Anderson has staked his claim.
“I think he has the physicality and he has the mindset to play in more difficult games,” Tuchel added. “And for this performance, he is clearly in the mix to play in Serbia.”
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RW: Noni Madueke
While there were times on Saturday when you felt Sam Matterface had been employed as Madueke’s agent, the Arsenal winger was England’s most effective attacker.
His cross led to the own goal that opened the scoring and he made a fine chance for Eze with a winding run.
It’s harsh on Jarrod Bowen, who has contributed to more Premier League goals than anybody else since April, but Madueke is likely to retain the shirt against Serbia.
CAM: Morgan Rogers
Unfortunate to start on his home ground against Andorra, Rogers could be given his chance after Eberechi Eze failed to impress in his place.
The Aston Villa man is blessed with both technical ability and the physicality that is necessary against tough opposition.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Eze retain his place, but we think Rogers is the more natural fit in Tuchel’s system and better matched for the imposing Serbs.
LW: Anthony Gordon
We can see why Tuchel persists with Marcus Rashford; England aren’t overly blessed with pace and peak Rashford would be an asset for any international side.
But it’s been over two years since the winger truly thrived. The turmoil in his club career is well-documented, but Rashford faded alarmingly against Andorra.
Gordon hasn’t been in form for months either, but he is probably the best natural left-winger at England’s disposal and deserves his chance.
ST: Harry Kane
Kane didn’t find the net at Villa Park last time out, but won his 108th cap to draw level with Bobby Moore in the all-time list.
Concerns remain over his mobility – the leaden-footed Kane we saw at Euro 2024 weighs England’s performance down with him – but there is no realistic alternative available to Tuchel.
Besides, Kane had been in good goalscoring form before Saturday’s blank. The time will come to think of a succession plan, but that time hasn’t arrived just yet.
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