As mentioned earlier in this live blog, Ezri Konsa spoke yesterday about set-pieces and the attention that England pay to them, with Anthony Barry, England’s assistant manager, taking a lead on them. In matches like these, set-pieces can often be the best chance of opening the match up. Indeed, in all of England’s big recent wins, (5-0 v Serbia, 3-0 v Wales and 5-0 v Latvia), set-piece goals were critical in giving them the lead — and then forcing their opponents into opening the match up as they attempted to get an equaliser.
Bukayo Saka, 28mins
England have their goal — and it’s from a set-piece. Declan Rice crosses from the right, and the ball is punched by Predrag Rajkovic. However, Nico O’Reilly is on hand — positioned smartly on the edge of the area to pick precisely these loose balls. His shot is blocked and the ball loops nicely to Bukayo Saka, who finishes very smartly. Teams spend a lot of work on second and third-phase set-pieces, so Saka’s position there was no accident.
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Declan Rice has just taken England’s first corner of the match (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). It’s an outswinger from the right-hand side. According to my spreadsheet *adjusts glasses* England tend to take outswingers from the right: they have taken 16 outswingers in World Cup qualifying, six inswingers and eight straight crosses. This one, however, is poor. Rice’s low cross is cleared at the near post.
Thomas Tuchel has been working on adding layers of complexity to his team and how they play in his training camps (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). In the last international window we saw how England’s pressing has improved. For Harry Kane’s goal against Latvia, there was some really smart pressing by the front five, as two players defended zonally and the three others went man-to-man.
Now we’re beginning to see some more ideas with possession. For example, Elliot Anderson has started to drop deep alongside or between the centre backs, freeing Nico O’Reilly to advance. He’s generally just offered width on the left, but on occasions has ran infield, inside of Marcus Rashford on the wing.
O’Reilly is making his senior England debut
PAUL HARDING/THE FA/GETTY IMAGES
Serbia are doing quite well at breaking the game up by winning free-kicks — just the sort of thing that Thomas Tuchel will want to avoid (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). The latest foul has coincided with the England drummer putting down his drumsticks for a little while. When Tuchel spoke about Wembley being “silent” during the Wales match, he was referring to periods like these. Truthfully, it’s difficult for the fans to respond to broken play, and it’s difficult for the players to get them excited when their opponents are defending well and slowing the game down.
I spoke to a technical director earlier this week and asked them about what to do when an opponent plays long against you (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). They had actually discussed the same matter with one of the England players earlier in the week.
Winning the first contact is — obviously — important, but there’s a lot to consider in relation to it.
Could, for example, the header be passed or cushioned to a team-mate more often? Could the defender let it roll through to the goalkeeper? Could they dummy to head it? Could they bring it down? Could they let the striker win the first ball but make sure they’re in a favourable position to win the second?
Centre backs who think about this and can execute these skills effectively are important to nullifying a long-ball threat. Marc Guéhi (who misses out tonight because of injury) is very skilled at managing aerial duels and controlling those situations.
Serbia have played a couple of long balls with their first few possession sequences, (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). The first was targeted in behind Nico O’Reilly, and the other through the middle. In the Premier League, lots of teams are using long balls this season, as they are an effective way to disrupt an opponent. If you kick long, your opponent can’t press you. Serbia look like they’re trying to draw England forward then play long, so their forwards can contest the first ball and pick up the second.
Serbia are defending in a 4-5-1, but they are playing with a high line (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). It’s a compact shape, with perhaps 30 metres between the deepest defender and the centre forward, but they are leaving space in behind (which Morgan Rogers attempted to exploit with an early run in behind). Serbia’s shape and their willingness to allow their opponents to have the ball is reminiscent of Aston Villa — let’s see if they’re as adept at playing through pressure as Unai Emery’s team…
The last time England played Serbia, in September, they ran out 5-0 winners (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). The result ramped up the pressure on long-standing manager Dragan Stojkovic, who has since been replaced by Veljko Paunovic. You may (or may not) remember him form a short stint in charge of Reading. But what the change means is that Serbia have the chance to surprise England with their tactics today.
We’re under way at Wembley.
The England supporters are unveiling a tifo behind the goal — a giant St George’s flag, comprised of smaller St George’s flags, bearing the names of clubs (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). The Serbia fans don’t have anything quite so big…
The fans here at Wembley are being treated to a special pyrotechnic display and light show ahead of kick-off to get the supporters amped up (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). The last time I remember the speakers turned up so loud at a match, I was reporting on Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in September 2023 (you may remember, Liverpool were reduced to nine men and conceded a 96th-minute own goal, by Joel Matip). I think Ange Postecoglou called the stadium a nightclub afterwards…
The players are out on the pitch and it’s time for the national anthems.
Forget making the shirt lighter, how about the shoes? The England players were padding about in new sneakers on Wednesday — garish numbers which, put it this way, you would never lose in the dark, (Jonathan Northcroft writes).
They were gifts from the team’s kit-maker, Nike, and billed as “pregame mules” which enhance the wearer with “mind-altering science”. Or were they just 80 quid Crocs?
“[The players] told me they can focus better if they wear these shoes and maybe the most important thing is they believe it,” said Thomas Tuchel, who wore a very ordinary pair of trainers — and an amused expression.
Focus better? “I said it’s important you wear them for my meetings,” he replied.
• Read in full: England need hunger, not ‘mind-altering’ shoes, for dead rubbers
There is no place in tonight’s 23-man squad for the Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who was called up to the senior England team for the first time last week.
The injured Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi also misses out, although it is hoped that he may able to play in England’s final World Cup qualifier away to Albania on Sunday.
Kick-off is just over half an hour away now…
MICHAEL REGAN/THE FA/GETTY IMAGES
PAUL HARDING/THE FA/GETTY IMAGES
England smelt blood. As Latvia sought to play out with passes across their defensive line, there would be as many as seven white shirts swarming them, looking to regain possession close to their opponents’ goal (Paul Joyce writes).
Anthony Gordon cut out a ball from Roberts Veips intended for Raivis Jurkovskis near the corner flag and, had it not been for the alertness of the goalkeeper Krisjanis Zviedris, a reverse pass from Harry Kane to Declan Rice might have brought reward.
As it was, England were made to wait only another 22 seconds for their prize.
Once again, it came from Latvian naivety but also the aggressive intent of Thomas Tuchel’s side to win back the ball.
• Read in full: Why Ralf Rangnick is inspiration for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup masterplan
As expected, Jude Bellingham starts tonight’s game on the bench, with Morgan Rogers favoured ahead of the Real Madrid midfielder. Here’s the England line-up in full:
It’s been quite the week for Nico O’Reilly (Hamzah Khalique-Loonat writes). He was handed a call-up to the senior squad on Friday, kept Mohamed Salah (relatively) quiet in Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and is now making his senior England debut. Only a few months ago, he was in Lee Carsley’s Under-21 squad, and if not for the Club World Cup (which he played in for City), he would likely have been at the U21 Euros in the summer. The rise of this former No10 (yes, you read that right) is remarkable.
Sunday afternoon in Madrid (Owen Slot writes). The two Real Madrid team buses have pulled up outside the Estadio de Vallecas; it’s one hour and 40 minutes before kick-off against their city rivals, Rayo Vallecano. Hordes of fans, fenced off 20 yards away, scream enthusiastically as the players emerge briefly one by one from their bus and into the stadium. And then something happens, fleeting but telling.
The players studiously fail to register their army of attendant followers. This behaviour is now the norm: it’s pre-kick-off, you can wear your headphones, head down, you’re focusing on the game, so we have therefore come to accept that it’s not rude to ignore.
Yet there are two exceptions. One is Fran García, who used to play for Rayo Vallecano. The other is Jude Bellingham. Just a wave is all it takes. Screams of applause come back in return. There, it wasn’t that hard, was it?
• Read in full: The real Jude Bellingham: inspirational leader or toxic influence?
Speaking in the lead-up to tonight’s game, Ezri Konsa emphasised the importance of set pieces to England as the national team looks to tap into the craze sweeping the Premier League: 28.2 per cent of goals have been scored from them in the top flight this season.
“We try to work on it as much as we can,” Konsa, 28, said. “It’s a big point here, definitely, working on our set pieces. Ant Barry [Tuchel’s No 2] does a great job at that.”
Konsa scored his first international goal from one routine during England’s 5-0 win over Serbia in Belgrade, drawing upon the expertise of Villa’s set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee.
“He [MacPhee] always says when we’re attacking corners and free-kicks to think like a striker,” Konsa said. “In that situation, I wanted to think like a striker — just run into the box and hopefully there’s a rebound. It just fell to me and I smashed it in with my left foot.”
The in-house TV cameras have just been in the dressing rooms at Wembley and show Jude Bellingham has the No10 shirt (Paul Joyce writes).
He is unlikely to have the No10 role, however, with Morgan Rogers poised to keep his place in the starting line-up following his recent eye-catching performances.
Bellingham looks set to begin on the substitutes’ bench, with the teams set to be confirmed at about 6.30pm. Rogers, for the record, is wearing No15.
Good evening and welcome to The Times’ live coverage of England vs Serbia at Wembley. With six wins from six, 18 points and no goals conceded, Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking to extend their perfect record in World Cup qualifying, after having already secured their place at next summer’s tournament as group K winners with two games to spares thanks to the 5-0 win over Latvia last month.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm. Stay tuned for updates from Hamzah Khalique-Loonat at Wembley.