England made it five wins from five and none conceded during the Thomas Tuchel era thanks to a 5-0 battering of Serbia on Tuesday in World Cup qualifying action.
Captain Harry Kane and Noni Madueke scored first-half goals for the visitors in Belgrade before Ezri Konsa and Marc Guéhi put the game to bed in the second as Nikola Milenković saw red for the hosts.
Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford then grabbed a penalty to close out the night on a high, with Tuchel’s team now seven points clear of Albania at the top of Group K.
Tuchel praises England’s intensity
England manager Tuchel spoke to ITV after the match and made a point of praising his team’s intensity in the Serbian capital.
“We played with a lot of intensity, we put a lot of work in,” he explained. “I think it was teamwork in its purest form, and from there we showed our quality.
“We kept Serbia to no shot on target, we didn’t allow chances, so you have to put a lot of work in to do that.
“A lot of help is needed, a lot of intensity is needed in the duels, a lot of invisible work that you get no praise for.
“We did this with a lot of support in all positions, a lot of running, a lot of effort. It was good to watch.
“The first camp was very good, the second camp was so-so. We did our learnings and started new, gave the players clarity in their role, in the structure that we are playing.
“And from then we [gave them] the responsibility to put it to life and they did excellent, so the credit goes to them. They did amazing, that’s the bar.”
Guéhi ‘the best team-mate’
Defender Guéhi saw a deadline-day transfer to Liverpool collapse last week, but the inevitable disappointment of that ordeal seems not to have affected the Crystal Palace captain, who rounded off a great performance against Serbia with a well-deserved goal.
Considering John Stones’ ongoing injury struggles and Harry Maguire’s peripheral status, Guéhi’s good form over the international break will no doubt have pleased England boss Tuchel.
“He is the example of how the boys were in this camp,” the German stated post-match.
“Exactly like this. They put their personal interests aside and he was the best team-mate possible. And he put in a fantastic performance.”
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Madueke, Rogers impress Keane
Attackers Madueke and Morgan Rogers were also notably effective in Belgrade, with Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane paying tribute to the pair after the win.
“That is what has impressed me over the last few months with him, his movement,” the Manchester United legend said of Arsenal star Madueke.
“Coming short, then spinning, mixing his game up. There is a real maturity. Obviously, then you are talking about end-product, but he is giving his team-mates options.
“His passing, his movement – he is a threat. We have said it before, he’s affecting games. He is passing it and giving it.
“He is a nightmare to play against and that is what you want from your attacking players. It was only a matter of time before he got that chance.”
On Aston Villa’s Rogers, Keane added: “What he does is give the manager a problem and a brilliant option. You are sending a message to the manager. That is all you can do.”
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