This was more like it from England. After a series of turgid showings under Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions kicked it up a notch when it mattered most. The game in Serbia was always going to the be their toughest in their bid to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel took his men to Belgrade to protect a 100% start to qualification, and they did so to make it five wins from five in a dominant display.
Harry Kane broke the Serbia dominance in the 33rd minute before Noni Madueke doubled England’s advantage two minutes later. Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi and Marcus Rashford wrapped up a five-star display as they eased to a 5-0 victory. The Eagles stood firm in the opening half hour yet the gulf in quality ultimately shone through as England took a huge step towards booking their trip stateside.
Tuchel made four changes to the side that beat Andorra at the weekend, as Tino Livramento, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon came in for Myles Lewis-Skelly, Dan Burn, Eberechi Eze and Marcus Rashford. Key for England once again, though, was the performance of Elliot Anderson, who deservedly kept his place in the starting XI.
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Anderson was superb on his international debut at Villa Park. “He’s just a very, very good football player,” Tuchel said of the Nottingham Forest star after Saturday’s victory in which the 22-year-old was named player of the match. And while it was one thing dominating in the middle of the park against a side that ranks 174th in the FIFA rankings, it’s another doing so with ease in Belgrade against a Serbia outfit that boasts a number of household names.
In truth, England made Serbia look a second-rate side. This was the sort of performance fans have come to expect from Tuchel’s outfit, with Anderson the heartbeat to the team once more. In truth, England have been crying out for a progressive passer at the base of the midfield to help break opposition lines.
Given their standing on the international stage, England are often expected to dominate, with teams routinely implementing a low block to frustrate one of football’s powerhouse nations. It means they need a midfielder to help break the lines or they run the risk of controlling proceedings without offering much penetration.
Anderson provides that requisite thrust to get the ball upfield. Only Konsa (87) made more accurate passes than the Forest star (75) in Belgrade, while the centre-back (26) was the only one to make forward passes than Anderson (21), with Jordan Pickford and Djordje Petrovic (both 19) rounding off the top three. The inclusion of goalkeepers and centre-backs in this metric is to be expected, however. It’s telling that Declan Rice, Anderson’s midfield partner in a 4-2-3-1, only made eight forward passes.
England again enjoyed the lion share of possession but they made it count this time around as they put sorry Serbia to the sword, and it was key they moved the ball forward quickly in order to punish their dire hosts, which was why Anderson’s showing at the base of the midfield was vital. He did, after all, make an additional 15 passes into the final third. The attackers must have been thrilled to see a player willing to get on the ball and advance play forward, making for a more fluid England side.
Many had expected Adam Wharton to be the one to nail down the progressive passing spot in this England setup, but he’s going to struggle to oust Anderson once he returns to fitness. And it wasn’t just Anderson’s work off the ball that again caught the eye, with the former Newcastle man chipping in with three tackles, returning a 100% tackle success rate in the process.
Magpies fans were gutted to see the back of Anderson a little over 12 months’ ago, and his fine showing in an England shirt against Serbia tonight again proves why. He’s the midfielder this side have needed for months now. Tuchel perhaps wasn’t complimentary enough about the player after the win over Andorra. Anderson’s international career may be in its infancy but it’s taken just 180 minutes of action to prove he deserves his spot on the plane that is likely to jet to North America next summer.